In a perfect democracy, at least 50% of people would support every decision.

The U.S. falls short of this goal.

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Spoken For.
Senate vote: S. 5271 // August 8, 2026Needed 60 votes to end debate

Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 5271

Who won, and how much of the country was behind them

Won the vote · Nay

46 votes, representing 143,405,723 people53.8%of U.S. adults

Lost the vote · Yea

52 votes, representing 121,151,411 people45.4%of U.S. adults

The dotted gap is 0.8% of U.S. adults whose member did not vote, voted “present,” or whose seat was vacant.

Share of U.S. adults represented, the Senate
SideOutcomeVotesShare of U.S. adults
NayWon4653.8%
YeaLost5245.4%
Not represented on this questionNo position taken00.8%

Senate This vote needed 60 yes votes to pass, more than the usual majority. It's called cloture, and it means a side with a majority of votes can still lose.