Vote

Suffrage; the voice of an individual in making a choice by many. The total number of voices given at an election; as, the presidential vote.

Votes are either given, by ballot or viva voce; they may be delivered personally by the voter himself, or, in some cases, by proxy.

A majority of the votes given carries the question submitted, unless in particular cases when the Constitution or laws require that there shall be a majority of all the voters, or when a greater number than a simple majority is expressly required; as, for example in the case of the Senate in making treaties by the President and Senate, two-thirds of the senators present must concur.

When the votes are equal in number, the proposed measure is lost.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.