Senate roll call 134 · 84th Congress · Mar 27, 1956
S.J.RES. 31. Electoral reform. Substitute proposal offering states a choice between dividing electoral votes in proportion to popular vote, and providing for
On Mar 27, 1956, the Senate voted 48–37 (SJRE 31). Result: passed. By party: Democrats 26–20, Republicans 23–21, Independents 0–1. It was a bipartisan vote: majorities of both parties voted yes. 41 members voted against their own party.
During the 84th Congress (1955–1956), Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, and Democrats held majorities in both the House and Senate.
- Yes
- 48
- No
- 37
- Did not vote
- 3
- Date
- Mar 27, 1956
By party
- Democrats26 yes · 20 no · 3 didn’t vote
- Republicans23 yes · 21 no
- Independents0 yes · 1 no
Who broke with their party
- Carl Trumbull Hayden D-AZ voted no
- Thomas Henry Kuchel R-CA voted no
- Gordon Llewellyn Allott R-CO voted no
- Prescott Sheldon Bush R-CT voted no
- William Arthur Purtell R-CT voted no
- Paul Howard Douglas D-IL voted no
- Homer Earl Capehart R-IN voted no
- Alben William Barkley D-KY voted no
- Allen Joseph Ellender D-LA voted no
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA voted no
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy D-MA voted no
- Leverett Saltonstall R-MA voted no
- James Glenn Beall R-MD voted no
- Frederick George Payne R-ME voted no
- Margaret Chase Smith R-ME voted no
- Charles Edward Potter R-MI voted no
- Patrick Vincent Mcnamara D-MI voted no
- Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. D-MN voted no
- Thomas Carey Hennings Jr. D-MO voted no
- William Stuart (Stuart) Symington D-MO voted no
- James Edward Murray D-MT voted no
- William Langer R-ND voted no
- Norris H. Cotton R-NH voted no
- Clifford Philip Case R-NJ voted no
- Howard Alexander Smith R-NJ voted no
- Herbert Henry Lehman D-NY voted no
- Irving McNeil Ives R-NY voted no
- George Harrison Bender R-OH voted no
- Richard Lewis Neuberger D-OR voted no
- Edward Martin R-PA voted no
- James Henderson Duff R-PA voted no
- John Orlando Pastore D-RI voted no
- Theodore Francis Green D-RI voted no
- Arthur Vivian Watkins R-UT voted no
- George David Aiken R-VT voted no
- Ralph Edward Flanders R-VT voted no
- Henry Martin (Scoop) Jackson D-WA voted no
- Warren Grant Magnuson D-WA voted no
- Matthew Mansfield Neely D-WV voted no
- William Ramsey Laird III D-WV voted no
- Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney D-WY voted no
How each senator voted: Yes
- John Jackson Sparkman D-AL
- Joseph Lister Hill D-AL
- James William Fulbright D-AR
- John Little Mcclellan D-AR
- Barry Morris Goldwater R-AZ
- William Fife Knowland R-CA
- Eugene Donald Millikin R-CO
- John James Williams R-DE
- Joseph Allen Frear Jr. D-DE
- George Armistead Smathers D-FL
- Spessard Lindsey Holland D-FL
- Richard Brevard Russell Jr. D-GA
- Walter Franklin George D-GA
- Bourke Blakemore Hickenlooper R-IA
- Thomas Ellsworth Martin R-IA
- Henry Clarence Dworshak R-ID
- Herman Welker R-ID
- Everett McKinley Dirksen R-IL
- William Ezra Jenner R-IN
- Andrew Frank Schoeppel R-KS
- Frank Carlson R-KS
- Earle C. Clements D-KY
- James Oliver Eastland D-MS
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS
- Michael Joseph (Mike) Mansfield D-MT
- Samuel James Ervin Jr. D-NC
- William Kerr Scott D-NC
- Milton Ruben Young R-ND
- Carl Thomas Curtis R-NE
- Roman Lee Hruska R-NE
- Henry Styles (Styles) Bridges R-NH
- Clinton Presba Anderson D-NM
- Dennis Chavez D-NM
- Alan Harvey Bible D-NV
- John William Bricker R-OH
- Robert Samuel Kerr D-OK
- James Strom Thurmond D-SC
- Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston D-SC
- Francis Higbee Case R-SD
- Karl Earl Mundt R-SD
- Albert Arnold Gore D-TN
- Lyndon Baines Johnson D-TX
- Marion Price Daniel D-TX
- Wallace Foster Bennett R-UT
- Absalom Willis Robertson D-VA
- Harry Flood Byrd D-VA
- Alexander Wiley R-WI
- Joseph Raymond Mccarthy R-WI
- Frank Aloysius Barrett R-WY
How each senator voted: No
- Carl Trumbull Hayden D-AZ
- Thomas Henry Kuchel R-CA
- Gordon Llewellyn Allott R-CO
- Prescott Sheldon Bush R-CT
- William Arthur Purtell R-CT
- Paul Howard Douglas D-IL
- Homer Earl Capehart R-IN
- Alben William Barkley D-KY
- Allen Joseph Ellender D-LA
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy D-MA
- Leverett Saltonstall R-MA
- James Glenn Beall R-MD
- Frederick George Payne R-ME
- Margaret Chase Smith R-ME
- Charles Edward Potter R-MI
- Patrick Vincent Mcnamara D-MI
- Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. D-MN
- Thomas Carey Hennings Jr. D-MO
- William Stuart (Stuart) Symington D-MO
- James Edward Murray D-MT
- William Langer R-ND
- Norris H. Cotton R-NH
- Clifford Philip Case R-NJ
- Howard Alexander Smith R-NJ
- Herbert Henry Lehman D-NY
- Irving McNeil Ives R-NY
- George Harrison Bender R-OH
- Richard Lewis Neuberger D-OR
- Wayne Lyman Morse I-OR
- Edward Martin R-PA
- James Henderson Duff R-PA
- John Orlando Pastore D-RI
- Theodore Francis Green D-RI
- Arthur Vivian Watkins R-UT
- George David Aiken R-VT
- Ralph Edward Flanders R-VT
- Henry Martin (Scoop) Jackson D-WA
- Warren Grant Magnuson D-WA
- Matthew Mansfield Neely D-WV
- William Ramsey Laird III D-WV
- Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney D-WY
Voted present
Did not vote
- Robert Humphreys D-KY
- Thomas Albert Wofford D-SC
- Harley Martin Kilgore D-WV
Other votes
From Voteview roll call records.
Cite or embed this page
Capitol Receipts, “S.J.RES. 31. Electoral reform. Substitute…: Senate Vote, Mar 27, 1956,” https://www.capitolreceipts.com/vote/84-S-134/s-j-res-31-electoral-reform-substitute-proposal-offering (accessed 2026-10-17).