How are recorded votes taken in the Congress?
Most votes are taken by a simple voice method, in which the yeas and nays are called out, respectively. It is the judgment of the chair as to which are greater in number determines the vote. If a recorded vote is desired, a sufficient second must support it. The Constitution simply provides that “the yeas and nays of the Members of either House on any question shall at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the Journal.” One-fifth of a quorum is deemed to be 44 in the House (one-fifth of 218). Since 1973, the House has used an electronic voting system to reduced the time consumed in voting, and permits a minimum of 15 minutes to complete a vote.
