What Is A Voice Vote?

In its simplest terms, the voice vote occurs when members of a group, organization or legislature indicate whether they are for or against something by answering vocally. Depending on the country they’re in and on the rules for the particular group, members might answer by say “yes” or “no.” They may also answering by the traditional “yea,” “aye” or “nay” or something similar. The alternative would be to submit votes written on paper or by computer tabulation (in current legislative bodies).

When a voice vote is allowed by council or legislative rules, the mayor or other presiding officer will indicate this before asking for those in favor and those against the subject under discussion. One of the things that separates a voice vote from a roll-call vote is that there is no individual record of which members voted for and which voted against. For someone in the meeting to get this information, he or she would have to watch closely to see which members said “yes” or “no” when the question is asked.

Here’s an example of how a voice vote might work in an assembly or legislature. A member moves to pass a particular piece of business and that motion is seconded by another member. If there is no further discussion and the rules allow a voice vote on this type of matter, the presiding officer will say something like, “All those in favor say aye.” Members then say this so that the presiding officer can get an idea of how many, as a group, voted in favor. The officer then says, “All opposed” and members answer with their voice.

If the person overseeing the vote is, for example, the speaker of a house of representatives, the president of an organization or the mayor of a city, he or she has the discretion to declare the motion or piece of business “passed” or “defeated.” This is based on whether this leader hears that one side or the other has a clear majority. Rules of the organization or assembly will probably allow for a different kind of vote if the person in charge cannot make a distinction, or if someone disagrees or objects to the leader’s decision.

Voice votes are often used for the more routine matters before a group or council. These tend not to generate controversy nor do they involve major expenditures of public or group money. Cynical observers of the political process point out that some members of legislatures might want to use a voice vote on a matter of some controversy, so that the individual vote is not formally recorded. This is possible, unless specific rules state that individual votes must be recorded on a particular issue.

Obviously a voice vote would not work for questions that require a specific number of votes or a percentage, such as two-thirds of the members in favor. But when minor matters are before the group and there is some sense that the vote will go heavily in favor or against, the presiding officer may simply call for a voice vote.

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