According to the Constitution of the United States, "The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided" (Article I, Section 3). Since 1789, the vice president has cast 242 tie-breaking votes. The first vice president, John Adams (pictured), still holds the record, having broken a tie in the Senate 29 times during his two terms in office. Our current vice president, Richard Cheney, has cast seven tie-breaking votes.

List of Tie-Breaking Votes since 1789

Information about Senate Voting Procedures

Recent Roll Call Votes