See Congressman Ellison's Full Voting Record

About Roll Call Votes

The Clerk of the House of Representatives is responsible for keeping the official roll call vote records. 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. During a string of recorded votes, the minimum time allowed to record subsequent roll call votes is customarily either five or two minutes, since most members remain on the floor where they vote. All recorded vote results are now available on the internet within a short period after the vote is complete.

Here are Congressman Ellison's most recent roll call votes. It is important to note that every recorded vote is the result of a motion on the floor of the House. That means, for example, that a vote for final passage of a bill means something very different than a vote for a motion to recommit on that same bill. Some votes (like motions to adjourn, quorum calls or agreeing to the journal) are typically procedural motions raised in objection to pending legislative business. If you have more questions about what a particular vote or motion means, please contact our Washington Office.