free vote
Legislator's independent choice
A free vote is a legislative vote in which members of a parliament or assembly may vote according to their own judgment rather than following party instructions.
Also called a conscience vote, it typically occurs on matters of personal morality—abortion, capital punishment, euthanasia—where parties decline to enforce discipline: The government allowed a free vote on the assisted dying bill.
- rightMorally proper or entitled
- pollsOpinion surveys or voting sites
- ballotVoting document
- majorityOver half of total
- enfranchiseGrant voting rights
democracy · conscience · party line · division · parliamentary procedure · abstention · autonomy · backbencher · crossing the floor · break ranks · roll call · parliament · rebellion · mark · voice · legislature · box · choice
- legislative votesyea, nay, aye, ayes, nays
- parliamentparliament, bills, debate, debates, legislation
free voteparty-line vote
Voting aligned with faction
whip · bloc vote · party discipline · party vote · bloc voting
free, vote, freely, freedom, freeness, freer, freest, unfree, freeborn