what is a roll call vote in the senate

A roll call vote in the Senate is a type of voting procedure where each senator votes "yea" or "nay" as their name is called by the clerk, who records the votes on a tally sheet. If one-fifth of a quorum of senators request it, the Senate will take a roll-call vote. The Senate can also agree to order a roll call vote on a question at any time when it is debating that question. Ordering the yeas and nays, however, does not determine when that vote will take place. In most cases, a simple majority is required for a measure to pass, and in the case of a tie, the vice president may cast the tie-breaking vote. The roll call vote results are compiled through the Senate Legislative Information System by the Senate bill clerk under the direction of the secretary of the Senate. Roll call votes, with the listing of how each member voted, can be found in the description of action on a bill, or by searching for the specific roll call vote number on the Senate website.