The voice vote is considered the simplest and quickest of voting methods used by deliberative assemblies. The presiding officer or chair of the assembly will put the question to the assembly, asking first for all those in favor of the motion to indicate so orally ("aye" or "yea"), and then ask second all those opposed to the motion to indicate so verbally ("no" or "nay").[1][2] The chair will then make an estimate of the count on each side and state what they believe the result to be.
Voice votes have inherent disadvantages and the method has major shortfalls in close contests. The volume of the voices are typically only estimated and not actually measured with sound level meters, giving a chair enough plausible deniability to falsify the result if they disagree with it; even if such a vote can be objectively quantified in terms of decibels, the method gives an unfair advantage to those who have louder voices. The need to make an audible signal also compromises any situation in which a secret ballot may be desired. The method is suitable in most cases where unanimity is required. If there is any doubt as to the outcome, any member of the assembly may request another vote by a method such as division of the assembly (a standing or rising vote), or a roll call vote. Voice votes are usually not recorded, but sometimes are.
Methods of voice voting were employed in ancient Greece as early as seventh century BC. The election of the members of the Gerousia, Sparta's Council of Elders, was conducted by shouting.[3] From the assembly, few persons were selected and locked up in a room close to the election, so that they could only hear the noise of the audience, but not see the candidate put to vote. The candidates were then presented to the assembly one after another without speaking a word. The favor of the assembly towards one candidate was assessed by the selected persons who established a ranking of all candidates with respect to the loudness of the assembly. Those candidates who have received the most and loudest acclamations were eventually elected.
Australia
Members vote by saying "aye" or "no", and the Speaker of the House (or President of the Senate) judges the result. If two or more members demand a recorded vote, one must be held.[4]
Canada
Members vote by saying "yea" or "nay", and the Speaker judges the mood of the House. If five or more members demand a recorded vote, one must be held.[5]
New Zealand
The initial decision on any question is by voice vote, members saying "aye" or "no", and the Speaker declaring which side has won. Members of the losing side (or abstainers), but not supporters of the side declared to have won, are entitled to demand a formal test of opinion.[6]
India
The voice vote (ध्वनि मत) is used in the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha[7][8] and state assemblies to vote for certain resolutions. It is used when there is a wide agreement on issues and in some cases where the house is not in order. It was used during the formation of the Indian state of Telangana in 2014.
On 20 September 2020, the Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill by voice vote, wherein the opposition parties alleged that the Deputy Speaker of the Rajya Sabha has abused the provision of the voice vote[9] and declared both the bills to be passed despite the opposition parties asking for division of the votes.[10]
United Kingdom
A voice vote is held to decide if a bill can progress through to the next stage.
The Speaker of the House of Commons will then propose the question by saying, for example (second reading): "The Question is, that the Bill be now read a second time". The Speaker then invites supporters of the bill to say "aye" and then opponents say "no": "As many as are of that opinion say 'aye' [supporters say 'aye'], of the contrary 'no' [opponents say 'no']". In what is known as collecting the voices the Speaker makes a judgement as to the louder cry. A clear majority either way will prompt the response "I think the Ayes/Noes have it. The Ayes/Noes have it!" (this can be forced to a division by continued cries either way). If the result is at all in doubt a division will be called and the speaker will say "Division, Clear the Lobbies!"
In the House of Lords, the Lord Speaker will propose the question by saying, for example (second reading): "The Question is, that the Bill be now read a second time". The Lord Speaker then does similarly to the Commons Speaker, by saying, "As many as are of that opinion say 'Content' [supporters say 'Content'] and of the contrary 'Not Content' [opponents say 'Not Content]." The Lord Speaker then decides. In the result of a division, the Lord Speaker will say "Division. Clear the Bar".
A vote by voice is the regular method of voting on any motion that does not require more than a majority vote for its adoption. In taking a voice vote, the chair puts the question by saying, "The question is on the adoption of the motion to [or "that"] ... [repeating or clearly identifying the motion]. Those in favor of the motion, say aye. [Pausing for response,] Those opposed, say no." (Alternative forms are: "All those in favor..."; "All in favor..."; or the wording formerly prescribed by Congress, "As many as are in favor...") In the case of a resolution, the question may be put as follows: "The question is on the adoption of the following resolution: [reading it]. Those in favor of adopting the resolution that was just read, say aye...Those opposed, say no." If the question has been read very recently and there appears no desire to have it read again, the chair may use this form: "The question is on the adoption of the resolution last read. "Those in favor of adopting the resolution, say aye...Those opposed, say no."[11]
In Congress, "the vast majority of actions decided by a voice vote" are ones for which "a strong or even overwhelming majority favors one side," or even unanimous consent. Members can request a division of the assembly (a rising vote, where each sides rise in turn to be counted), and one-fifth of members can demand a recorded vote on any question, after the chair announces the result of a voice vote.[12]
It is estimated that more than 95 percent of the resolutions passed by state legislatures are passed by a unanimous voice vote, many without discussion; this is because resolutions are often on routine, noncontroversial matters, such as commemorating important events or recognizing groups.[13]
^Gregory Koger, Filibustering: A Political History of Obstruction in the House and Senate (2010), University of Chicago Press, p. 18.
^Hartley R. Nathan, Nathan's Company Meetings Including Rules of Order (6th ed. 2005), CCH Canadian.
^Girard, Charles (1 January 2010). "Acclamation Voting in Sparta: An Early Use of Approval Voting". In Laslier, Jean-François; Sanver, M. Remzi (eds.). Handbook on Approval Voting. Studies in Choice and Welfare. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 15–17. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-02839-7_2. ISBN9783642028380. S2CID 150891267.
^. www.peo.gov.au. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014.
^"Voice Votes - Compendium of Procedure - House of Commons". www.ourcommons.ca.
^"Chapter 17 Voting - New Zealand Parliament". www.parliament.nz.
^"Ayes vs Noes: How voice voting in Parliament works". MoneyControl. 22 September 2020.
^"Parliament voting: Ayes vs noes, and road from manual to electronic recording".
^Shekhar, Anubhav (2 December 2020). "How Voting to Pass Farm Bills Was a Vote to Silence the Voices". The Leaflet.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^Dinesh, Singh Rawat. "Explained: The Global Democratic Experience of Voting by The Voice Vote". No. Online. ABC Live India. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
^Robert, Henry M.; et al. (2011). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press. pp. 45–46. ISBN978-0-306-82020-5.
^Mark A. Smith, American Business and Political Power: Public Opinion, Elections, and Democracy (2000), University of Chicago Press, pp. 65-68.
^Thomas H. Little and David B. Ogle, The Legislative Branch of State Government: People, Process, and Politics (2006), ABC CLIO, pp. 43-44.
^Resnick, Pete (June 2014). "On Consensus and Humming in the IETF". tools.ietf.org. doi:10.17487/RFC7282. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
May 16, 2023
voice, vote, parliamentary, procedure, voice, vote, from, latin, viva, voce, meaning, live, voice, acclamation, voting, method, deliberative, assemblies, such, legislatures, which, group, vote, taken, topic, motion, responding, vocally, voice, vote, considered. In parliamentary procedure a voice vote from the Latin viva voce meaning by live voice or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies such as legislatures in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vocally The voice vote is considered the simplest and quickest of voting methods used by deliberative assemblies The presiding officer or chair of the assembly will put the question to the assembly asking first for all those in favor of the motion to indicate so orally aye or yea and then ask second all those opposed to the motion to indicate so verbally no or nay 1 2 The chair will then make an estimate of the count on each side and state what they believe the result to be Voice votes have inherent disadvantages and the method has major shortfalls in close contests The volume of the voices are typically only estimated and not actually measured with sound level meters giving a chair enough plausible deniability to falsify the result if they disagree with it even if such a vote can be objectively quantified in terms of decibels the method gives an unfair advantage to those who have louder voices The need to make an audible signal also compromises any situation in which a secret ballot may be desired The method is suitable in most cases where unanimity is required If there is any doubt as to the outcome any member of the assembly may request another vote by a method such as division of the assembly a standing or rising vote or a roll call vote Voice votes are usually not recorded but sometimes are Voice votes are also used in non governmental settings such as battles of the bands and spectator sports where a most valuable player Man of the Match or Best in Show award is chosen by the audience Contents 1 Ancient Greece 2 Australia 3 Canada 4 New Zealand 5 India 6 United Kingdom 7 United States 8 Other methods 9 See also 10 ReferencesAncient Greece EditMethods of voice voting were employed in ancient Greece as early as seventh century BC The election of the members of the Gerousia Sparta s Council of Elders was conducted by shouting 3 From the assembly few persons were selected and locked up in a room close to the election so that they could only hear the noise of the audience but not see the candidate put to vote The candidates were then presented to the assembly one after another without speaking a word The favor of the assembly towards one candidate was assessed by the selected persons who established a ranking of all candidates with respect to the loudness of the assembly Those candidates who have received the most and loudest acclamations were eventually elected Australia EditMembers vote by saying aye or no and the Speaker of the House or President of the Senate judges the result If two or more members demand a recorded vote one must be held 4 Canada EditMembers vote by saying yea or nay and the Speaker judges the mood of the House If five or more members demand a recorded vote one must be held 5 New Zealand EditThe initial decision on any question is by voice vote members saying aye or no and the Speaker declaring which side has won Members of the losing side or abstainers but not supporters of the side declared to have won are entitled to demand a formal test of opinion 6 India EditThe voice vote ध वन मत is used in the Lok Sabha the Rajya Sabha 7 8 and state assemblies to vote for certain resolutions It is used when there is a wide agreement on issues and in some cases where the house is not in order It was used during the formation of the Indian state of Telangana in 2014 On 20 September 2020 the Rajya Sabha passed the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce Promotion and Facilitation Bill and Farmers Empowerment and Protection Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill by voice vote wherein the opposition parties alleged that the Deputy Speaker of the Rajya Sabha has abused the provision of the voice vote 9 and declared both the bills to be passed despite the opposition parties asking for division of the votes 10 United Kingdom EditA voice vote is held to decide if a bill can progress through to the next stage The Speaker of the House of Commons will then propose the question by saying for example second reading The Question is that the Bill be now read a second time The Speaker then invites supporters of the bill to say aye and then opponents say no As many as are of that opinion say aye supporters say aye of the contrary no opponents say no In what is known as collecting the voices the Speaker makes a judgement as to the louder cry A clear majority either way will prompt the response I think the Ayes Noes have it The Ayes Noes have it this can be forced to a division by continued cries either way If the result is at all in doubt a division will be called and the speaker will say Division Clear the Lobbies In the House of Lords the Lord Speaker will propose the question by saying for example second reading The Question is that the Bill be now read a second time The Lord Speaker then does similarly to the Commons Speaker by saying As many as are of that opinion say Content supporters say Content and of the contrary Not Content opponents say Not Content The Lord Speaker then decides In the result of a division the Lord Speaker will say Division Clear the Bar United States EditRobert s Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th edition provides that A vote by voice is the regular method of voting on any motion that does not require more than a majority vote for its adoption In taking a voice vote the chair puts the question by saying The question is on the adoption of the motion to or that repeating or clearly identifying the motion Those in favor of the motion say aye Pausing for response Those opposed say no Alternative forms are All those in favor All in favor or the wording formerly prescribed by Congress As many as are in favor In the case of a resolution the question may be put as follows The question is on the adoption of the following resolution reading it Those in favor of adopting the resolution that was just read say aye Those opposed say no If the question has been read very recently and there appears no desire to have it read again the chair may use this form The question is on the adoption of the resolution last read Those in favor of adopting the resolution say aye Those opposed say no 11 In Congress the vast majority of actions decided by a voice vote are ones for which a strong or even overwhelming majority favors one side or even unanimous consent Members can request a division of the assembly a rising vote where each sides rise in turn to be counted and one fifth of members can demand a recorded vote on any question after the chair announces the result of a voice vote 12 It is estimated that more than 95 percent of the resolutions passed by state legislatures are passed by a unanimous voice vote many without discussion this is because resolutions are often on routine noncontroversial matters such as commemorating important events or recognizing groups 13 Other methods EditHumming is used as a voice vote method at the IETF Internet Engineering Task Force to estimate the participants positions on some issues 14 See also EditVoting methods in deliberative assemblies AcclamationReferences Edit Gregory Koger Filibustering A Political History of Obstruction in the House and Senate 2010 University of Chicago Press p 18 Hartley R Nathan Nathan s Company Meetings Including Rules of Order 6th ed 2005 CCH Canadian Girard Charles 1 January 2010 Acclamation Voting in Sparta An Early Use of Approval Voting In Laslier Jean Francois Sanver M Remzi eds Handbook on Approval Voting Studies in Choice and Welfare Springer Berlin Heidelberg pp 15 17 doi 10 1007 978 3 642 02839 7 2 ISBN 9783642028380 S2CID 150891267 Voting in the Chambers Learning Parliamentary Education Office vote division voting parliament chamber www peo gov au Archived from the original on 11 February 2014 Voice Votes Compendium of Procedure House of Commons www ourcommons ca Chapter 17 Voting New Zealand Parliament www parliament nz Ayes vs Noes How voice voting in Parliament works MoneyControl 22 September 2020 Parliament voting Ayes vs noes and road from manual to electronic recording Shekhar Anubhav 2 December 2020 How Voting to Pass Farm Bills Was a Vote to Silence the Voices The Leaflet a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Dinesh Singh Rawat Explained The Global Democratic Experience of Voting by The Voice Vote No Online ABC Live India Retrieved 28 September 2020 Robert Henry M et al 2011 Robert s Rules of Order Newly Revised 11th ed Philadelphia PA Da Capo Press pp 45 46 ISBN 978 0 306 82020 5 Mark A Smith American Business and Political Power Public Opinion Elections and Democracy 2000 University of Chicago Press pp 65 68 Thomas H Little and David B Ogle The Legislative Branch of State Government People Process and Politics 2006 ABC CLIO pp 43 44 Resnick Pete June 2014 On Consensus and Humming in the IETF tools ietf org doi 10 17487 RFC7282 Retrieved 25 February 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Voice vote amp oldid 1154495762, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
