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Power & PoliticsUnited States edition
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Independent · nonpartisan
Illustrative empty legislative chamber as neutral vote indicators resolve a recorded outcome
House recorded vote (34th Congress) · August 4, 1856
S. 53

Recorded vote

TO SUSPEND THE RULES IN ORDER TO CONSIDER S. 53 (11 STAT. 44, APP. 8/16/1856), A BILL IMPROVING NAVIGATION OF THE POTAPSCO RIVER AND RENDERING BALTIMORE PORT ACCESSIBLE TO U. S. WAR STEAMERS. (P.1913-1)

Bill actionDefense & war
01
The question

The exact motion or nomination the chamber put to a vote.

02
The tally

The official yea, nay, present, and not-voting totals.

03
The people

Every member's recorded position linked directly to their file.

The official record
  • This vote predates the chambers' digital roll-call records (Senate begins 1989, House 1990). It is reproduced from the official Journals of Congress as compiled by Voteview (UCLA).
The tally

How the vote fell · we worked out this outcome from the vote counts (see sources)

The measure itself

What was on the floor

Full text predates digital publication (GPO coverage begins with the 103rd Congress, 1993). The official description above is the recorded question. The original text lives in the printed Statutes at Large and the Journals of Congress.

Same measure, other votes

Every roll call on S. 53

August 16, 1856 · TO PASS, OVER THE VETO OF THE PRESIDENT, S. 5… · 127–47 August 16, 1856 · TO PASS S. 53, (PASSED OVER VETO 8/16/1856, 1… · 27–19 August 16, 1856 · TO SUSTAIN THE CHAIR'S DECISION RULING IT IN … · 32–9 August 16, 1856 · TO PASS S. 53, (PASSED OVER VETO 8/16/1856 11… · 31–14
The map

How each state's members voted

In 16 states every member on the roll voted yes; in 3 every one voted no; 11 were split. Each square is a state, placed roughly where it sits on the map. Select a state to see how each of its members voted.

  • All yes
  • All no
  • Split
  • No yes or no vote
  1. Alaska: no member on this roll call
  2. Maine: 5 yes, 1 no
  3. Vermont: 2 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  4. New Hampshire: 3 yes, 0 no
  5. Washington: no member on this roll call
  6. Idaho: no member on this roll call
  7. Montana: no member on this roll call
  8. North Dakota: no member on this roll call
  9. Minnesota: no member on this roll call
  10. Illinois: 4 yes, 0 no, 3 did not vote yes or no
  11. Wisconsin: 3 yes, 0 no
  12. Michigan: 2 yes, 0 no, 2 did not vote yes or no
  13. New York: 23 yes, 1 no, 8 did not vote yes or no
  14. Rhode Island: 2 yes, 0 no
  15. Massachusetts: 6 yes, 2 no, 3 did not vote yes or no
  16. Oregon: no member on this roll call
  17. Nevada: no member on this roll call
  18. Wyoming: no member on this roll call
  19. South Dakota: no member on this roll call
  20. Iowa: 1 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  21. Indiana: 7 yes, 0 no, 4 did not vote yes or no
  22. Ohio: 18 yes, 2 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  23. Pennsylvania: 17 yes, 3 no, 5 did not vote yes or no
  24. New Jersey: 3 yes, 0 no, 2 did not vote yes or no
  25. Connecticut: 3 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  26. California: 2 yes, 0 no
  27. Utah: no member on this roll call
  28. Colorado: no member on this roll call
  29. Nebraska: no member on this roll call
  30. Missouri: 2 yes, 1 no, 3 did not vote yes or no
  31. Kentucky: 5 yes, 0 no, 5 did not vote yes or no
  32. West Virginia: no member on this roll call
  33. Virginia: 0 yes, 9 no, 3 did not vote yes or no
  34. Maryland: 4 yes, 0 no, 2 did not vote yes or no
  35. Delaware: 1 yes, 0 no
  36. Arizona: no member on this roll call
  37. New Mexico: no member on this roll call
  38. Kansas: no member on this roll call
  39. Arkansas: 0 yes, 1 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  40. Tennessee: 6 yes, 3 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  41. North Carolina: 3 yes, 2 no, 3 did not vote yes or no
  42. South Carolina: 0 yes, 3 no, 2 did not vote yes or no
  43. District of Columbia: no member on this roll call
  44. Oklahoma: no member on this roll call
  45. Louisiana: 1 yes, 0 no, 3 did not vote yes or no
  46. Mississippi: 1 yes, 3 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  47. Alabama: 2 yes, 4 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  48. Georgia: 3 yes, 3 no, 2 did not vote yes or no
  49. Hawaii: no member on this roll call
  50. Texas: 1 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no
  51. Florida: 0 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no

Numbers are yes–no. Members who did not vote, voted present, or were paired are counted in each state's list below.

Arkansas 0 yes, 1 no, 1 did not vote yes or no

Connecticut 3 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no

Delaware 1 yes, 0 no

Florida 0 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no

Iowa 1 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no

Louisiana 1 yes, 0 no, 3 did not vote yes or no

Michigan 2 yes, 0 no, 2 did not vote yes or no

South Carolina 0 yes, 3 no, 2 did not vote yes or no

Texas 1 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no

Vermont 2 yes, 0 no, 1 did not vote yes or no

Official records

Every vote, by name — 229 members

Select any member to pull their file.