What Is A Casting Vote?

In most of the Legislative bodies or Councils, passing of bills is of the utmost importance. In most instances, the presiding officer does not have voting rights. It is when both sides have equal votes that the presiding officer casts his vote and his vote decides the issue. He only has a casting vote, the vote that is exercised only to decide an issue. In case of a tie the person to resolve the issue exercises this vote. In simple words, it is the deciding vote when votes are equal on both  sides.

During proceedings in the Indian Parliament, while passing a bill, there may be an equal number of votes in favour and against a bill. In such instances of a tie, the speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha exercise their casting vote respectively.

In the House of Commons the Speaker or the chairman of a committee holds the casting vote. Some countries have discontinued the concept of a casting vote. The speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, previously had a casting vote, this has been abandoned. Today the Speaker simply votes as an ordinary member.

A casting vote is given when there is a tie in a parliament or an assembly. The casting vote is applied whenever the council is in some kind of a deadlock. The casting vote helps to resolve such a matter. This helps the council to reach a decision. In the United Kingdom, The Speaker of the British House of Commons has such a power. In the United States of America, the Vice President has to power to exercise such a vote. This kind of a situation arises when there are a limited number of people involved in a legislative body. There are more chances of a deadlock when there are few people voting. These days, casting vote is quite rarely found as there are many people who have become members of the legislative. Casting vote is not found in all the countries.