Five of seven blocked Senate votes had a majority in favor
Source. Senate.gov roll call votes (votes short of 60, or 67 for constitutional amendments)
Method and data
Method. Shortfall = required yeas minus yeas, with 60 required for cloture and 67 of 100 for a constitutional amendment. The seven votes are two passage votes on balanced budget amendments (1995, 1997), a vote on an amendment (2013) and four cloture votes: on motions to proceed (2021, 2024, S. 5271 in 2026) and on a photo-identification amendment to S. 1383 (2026). The 1995 House term-limits vote (227–204, 288 needed) is in the CSV but not plotted.
| Effort | Chamber | Vote | Yeas | Nays | Yeas required | Votes short | Majority in favor | In the exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced budget amendment (H.J.Res. 1) | Senate | March 2, 1995 | 65 | 35 | 67 | 2 | yes | yes |
| Balanced budget amendment (S.J.Res. 1) | Senate | March 4, 1997 | 66 | 34 | 67 | 1 | yes | yes |
| Term-limits amendment (H.J.Res. 73) | House | March 29, 1995 | 227 | 204 | 288 | 61 | yes | no |
| Background-check amendment (S.Amdt. 715 to S. 649) | Senate | April 17, 2013 | 54 | 46 | 60 | 6 | yes | yes |
| For the People Act (S. 2093) | Senate | June 22, 2021 | 50 | 50 | 60 | 10 | no | yes |
| Border Act of 2024 (S. 4361) | Senate | May 23, 2024 | 43 | 50 | 60 | 17 | no | yes |
| Photo-ID amendment to S. 1383 (S.Amdt. 4732 to S.Amdt. 4420), cloture | Senate | March 26, 2026 | 53 | 47 | 60 | 7 | yes | yes |
| Photo-ID bill (S. 5271), cloture on motion to proceed | Senate | August 8, 2026 | 52 | 46 | 60 | 8 | yes | yes |
