Congressional Glossary
Congressional Glossary
Congress runs on procedure, and the procedure has its own vocabulary. Each entry below explains one term in plain English and pairs it with real recent roll calls from the official record.
The glossary starts with the four terms readers look up most. Every definition links to the Senate, House, or constitutional source it rests on.
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Filibuster
A filibuster is a Senate tactic that blocks or delays a vote by refusing to end debate. Most legislation stalls until 60 senators vote to cut debate off.
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Cloture
Cloture is the Senate motion that ends debate and forces a final vote. On most legislation it takes 60 votes; on nominations, a simple majority.
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Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present to do business: a majority of each chamber, which means 218 of 435 in the House and 51 of 100 in the Senate.
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Roll-call vote
A roll-call vote is a vote in which each member's name and position are recorded. It is the only kind of congressional vote that shows exactly how your senators and representative voted.