Congress uses several types of votes to make decisions. Understanding the difference between a voice vote and a roll call vote — and knowing how to find your official's voting record — is key to holding your elected officials accountable.
The presiding officer asks members to say "aye" or "no" and judges the result by volume. No individual votes are recorded. Voice votes are commonly used for noncontroversial measures like naming post offices or approving routine procedural motions.
Each member's vote is individually recorded. In the House, members vote electronically using a voting card. In the Senate, the clerk calls each senator's name and they respond from the floor. Roll call votes are required for final passage of most legislation and can be requested by any member. These are the votes you can look up on Congress.gov.
The presiding officer asks if there is any objection to a proposal. If no one objects, it passes without a formal vote. This is used frequently in the Senate for procedural matters and scheduling. Any single senator can block a unanimous consent request.
Members stand to be counted for and against. The chair announces the count, but individual positions are not recorded. This is relatively rare and is sometimes used as an intermediate step before requesting a roll call.
Several free resources let you see exactly how your official voted:
When you see a member listed as "Not Voting," it can mean several things: they were absent due to illness or travel, they had a conflict of interest, or they chose to abstain. Members can also vote "Present" — which counts for quorum purposes but not as a vote for or against.
A pattern of missed votes can be significant. If your official has a high rate of missed votes, that may be worth asking about through direct contact or at a town hall.
Look up recent votes and hold your elected officials accountable.
View Voting Records