Attendance
The Constitution specifies that a majority of members constitutes
a quorum to do business in each house. Representatives and
senators rarely force the presence of a quorum by demanding quorum
calls; thus, in most cases, debates continue even if a majority is
not present. The Senate uses roll-call votes; a clerk calls out
the names of all the senators, each senator stating "aye" or "no"
when his or her name is announced. The House reserves roll-call
votes for the most formal matters, as a roll-call of all 435
representatives takes quite some time; normally, members vote by
electronic device. In the case of a tie, the motion in question
fails. In the Senate, the Vice President may (if present) cast the
tiebreaking vote.
