House Hopes to Pass Relief Bill By Voice Vote

Playbook says a voice vote in the House on the massive economic relief package is most likely and not a unanimous consent.

“Let us explain. The No. 1 choice is a unanimous consent vote, which would have the House pass this bill without any recorded action. If they can’t do that — remember, just one person needs to dissent — the next best option is a voice vote, a method that’s not appreciably different than a unanimous consent, but allows lawmakers to go to the floor to shout ‘aye’ or ‘no.’ The chair decides which side prevails. The political benefit to a voice vote is people can come and vote if they choose.”

“If all of that goes sideways, the next best option is to bring the House back, and allow for a very long vote series, in which the voting machines — they include a card slot, and two buttons to cast your vote — would be cleaned after each use.”