vote-a-rama
noun
vote-a-ra·ma
ˌvō-tə-ˈrä-mə 
-ˈra-
plural vote-a-ramas
U.S. government
: an unusually large number of debates and votes that happen in one day on a single piece of legislation to which an unlimited number of amendments can be introduced, debated, and voted on
The Senate defines it as 15 or more votes that happen on a piece of legislation in a single day (while vote-a-ramas are often done on budget resolutions, they can be about any piece of legislation, like the health care bill). After the allotted time of debate on a bill expires, any senator can introduce an unlimited number of amendments to a piece of legislation. They then vote on the amendments, marathon-style. This can go on for hours.—
Jessica Estepa
Jessica EstepaPassing a budget resolution is part of a process known as reconciliation, which allows legislation to pass in the Senate with only a simple majority instead of the typical 60-vote threshold, meaning Democrats would be able to green-light it without any Republican votes. But Republicans forced Democrats to go on the record with a series of votes on a slew of amendments in the politically painful "vote-a-rama."—Grace Segers
Grace SegersExamples of vote-a-rama in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a marathon vote-a-rama session, senators introduced numerous amendments before ultimately voting 51-48 to approve the package that includes cuts to foreign food and health programs.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 17 July 2025
The Senate on Wednesday afternoon started a process is dubbed vote-a-rama, where members can offer up amendments.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 July 2025
Republicans in both chambers have until Friday to send the legislation to Trump’s desk for his signature, a deadline that could be difficult for the party to meet, in part because the Senate is planning to hold a vote-a-rama this week.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 14 July 2025
Attempts from Democrats to remove the provision during the marathon vote-a-rama session on Monday and Tuesday ultimately failed.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025
And that’s before factoring in the vast amount of overtime senators have been putting in throughout a ‘vote-a-rama’ marathon that Republicans want to bring to the finish line by Independence Day.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 4 July 2025
Throughout June 30 and into the morning of July 1, lawmakers have considered and voted on 45 amendments – a record number in what is known in Washington as a vote-a-rama.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 2 July 2025
The Senate approved the bill on July 1 after a marathon vote-a-rama.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The Senate has spent some 18 hours churning through more than two dozen amendments in what is called a vote-a-rama, a typically laborious process that went on longer than usual as negotiations happen on and off the chamber floor.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025
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Scott Neuman, NPR, 17 July 2025
The Senate on Wednesday afternoon started a process is dubbed vote-a-rama, where members can offer up amendments.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 July 2025
Republicans in both chambers have until Friday to send the legislation to Trump’s desk for his signature, a deadline that could be difficult for the party to meet, in part because the Senate is planning to hold a vote-a-rama this week.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 14 July 2025
Attempts from Democrats to remove the provision during the marathon vote-a-rama session on Monday and Tuesday ultimately failed.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 1 July 2025
And that’s before factoring in the vast amount of overtime senators have been putting in throughout a ‘vote-a-rama’ marathon that Republicans want to bring to the finish line by Independence Day.
—Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 4 July 2025
Throughout June 30 and into the morning of July 1, lawmakers have considered and voted on 45 amendments – a record number in what is known in Washington as a vote-a-rama.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 2 July 2025
The Senate approved the bill on July 1 after a marathon vote-a-rama.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The Senate has spent some 18 hours churning through more than two dozen amendments in what is called a vote-a-rama, a typically laborious process that went on longer than usual as negotiations happen on and off the chamber floor.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vote-a-rama.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vote-a-rama. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
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