1、Congressional Research Service ? The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code 98-779 GOVUpdated February 20, 2001Super-Majority Votes in the SenateWalter J. OleszekGovernment and Finance DivisionThe Senate has long been known for its emphasis on minority right
2、s, for it providesextensive procedural protections to individuals and minority coalitions. Yet most issuesin the Senate are decided by a simple majority vote: one-half-plus-one of the Membersvoting, assuming the presence of a quorum. For instance, if all 100 Senators vote, thewinning margin is at le
3、ast 51 one more than half the membership of the Senate. UnderSenate precedents, “a tie vote on a question defeats it.”Some super-majority votes, however, are explicitly specified in the Constitution;implicitly, they also inhere in authority granted in Article I, section 5, which says, “Eachchamber m
4、ay determine the Rules of Its Proceedings.” Under this affirmativeconstitutional power, the Senate has imposed on itself a number of additional super-majority (sometimes called “extraordinary majority”) requirements. Worth review, then,are the constitutional and Senate procedural-based exceptions to
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