What is "casting vote"

Vote \Vote\, n. [L. votum a vow, wish, will, fr. vovere, votum, to vow: cf. F. vote. See Vow.]

1. An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer. [Obs.]
   --Massinger.

2. A wish, choice, or opinion, of a person or a body of persons, expressed in some received and authorized way; the expression of a wish, desire, will, preference, or choice, in regard to any measure proposed, in which the person voting has an interest in common with others, either in electing a person to office, or in passing laws, rules, regulations, etc.; suffrage.

3. That by means of which will or preference is expressed in elections, or in deciding propositions; voice; a ballot; a ticket; as, a written vote.

   The freeman casting with unpurchased hand The vote that shakes the turrets of the land.
   --Holmes.

4. Expression of judgment or will by a majority; legal decision by some expression of the minds of a number; as, the vote was unanimous; a vote of confidence.

5. Votes, collectively; as, the Tory vote; the labor vote.

   Casting vote, Cumulative vote, etc. See under Casting, Cumulative, etc.

Casting \Cast"ing\, n.

1. The act of one who casts or throws, as in fishing.

2. The act or process of making casts or impressions, or of shaping metal or plaster in a mold; the act or the process of pouring molten metal into a mold.

3. That which is cast in a mold; esp. the mass of metal so cast; as, a casting in iron; bronze casting.

4. The warping of a board.
   --Brande & C.

5. The act of casting off, or that which is cast off, as skin, feathers, excrement, etc.

   Casting of draperies, the proper distribution of the folds of garments, in painting and sculpture.

   Casting line (Fishing), the leader; also, sometimes applied to the long reel line.

   Casting net, a net which is cast and drawn, in distinction from a net that is set and left.

   Casting voice, Casting vote, the decisive vote of a presiding officer, when the votes of the assembly or house are equally divided. ``When there was an equal vote, the governor had the casting voice.''
   --B. Trumbull.

   Casting weight, a weight that turns a balance when exactly poised.

n. the deciding vote cast by the presiding officer to resolve a tie

A casting vote is a vote which may be exercised (usually in addition to his or her normal vote as a member of the body, if he or she has one) by the presiding officer of a council or legislative body, or of any committee, to resolve a deadlock and which can be exercised only when such a deadlock exists. Examples of officers who hold casting votes are the Speaker of the British House of Commons and the President of the United States Senate (an ex-officio role of the Vice President of the United States).

In some legislatures, a casting vote may be exercised however the presiding officer wishes. An example is the Vice President of the United States, who may exercise his casting vote in the Senate according to his party affiliation or according to his own personal beliefs. By virtue of the Vice President's casting vote, when the Senate as elected is equally divided between two parties, the Vice President's party automatically becomes the official majority party in the Senate. The exercise of the Vice President's casting vote has become increasingly rare throughout American history as the size of the Senate has grown from 26 to 100 and ties have become less probable.

In some other legislatures, by contrast, a casting vote can only be exercised according to strict rules or conventions. For example, the Speaker of the British House of Commons is expected by constitutional convention to follow Speaker Denison's rule, i.e. to vote to allow further discussion, if this is possible, and otherwise to vote in favour of the status quo.

The concept of a casting vote is not used in Robert's Rules of Order.