Senate roll call 132 · 84th Congress · Mar 27, 1956
S.J.RES. 31. Electoral reform. Substitute proposal to abolish electoral college and elect President and vice-President by direct popular vote. Rejected.
On Mar 27, 1956, the Senate voted 17–66 (SJRE 31). Result: failed. By party: Democrats 19–28, Republicans 1–43, Independents 1–0. It was a bipartisan vote: majorities of both parties voted no. 20 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
- 17
- No
- 66
- Did not vote
- 3
- Date
- Mar 27, 1956
By party
- Democrats19 yes · 28 no · 3 didn’t vote
- Republicans1 yes · 43 no
- Independents1 yes · 0 no
Who broke with their party
- Carl Trumbull Hayden D-AZ voted yes
- Paul Howard Douglas D-IL voted yes
- Alben William Barkley D-KY voted yes
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA voted yes
- Patrick Vincent Mcnamara D-MI voted yes
- Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. D-MN voted yes
- Thomas Carey Hennings Jr. D-MO voted yes
- James Edward Murray D-MT voted yes
- Michael Joseph (Mike) Mansfield D-MT voted yes
- William Langer R-ND voted yes
- Dennis Chavez D-NM voted yes
- Herbert Henry Lehman D-NY voted yes
- Richard Lewis Neuberger D-OR voted yes
- John Orlando Pastore D-RI voted yes
- Albert Arnold Gore D-TN voted yes
- Henry Martin (Scoop) Jackson D-WA voted yes
- Warren Grant Magnuson D-WA voted yes
- Matthew Mansfield Neely D-WV voted yes
- William Ramsey Laird III D-WV voted yes
- Joseph Christopher O'Mahoney D-WY voted yes
How each senator voted: Yes
- Carl Trumbull Hayden D-AZ
- Paul Howard Douglas D-IL
- Alben William Barkley D-KY
- Russell Billiu Long D-LA
- Patrick Vincent Mcnamara D-MI
- Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. D-MN
- Thomas Carey Hennings Jr. D-MO
- James Edward Murray D-MT
- Michael Joseph (Mike) Mansfield D-MT
- William Langer R-ND
- Dennis Chavez D-NM
- Herbert Henry Lehman D-NY
- Richard Lewis Neuberger D-OR
- Wayne Lyman Morse I-OR
- John Orlando Pastore D-RI
- Albert Arnold Gore D-TN
- 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
How each senator voted: No
- 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
- Thomas Henry Kuchel R-CA
- William Fife Knowland R-CA
- Eugene Donald Millikin R-CO
- Gordon Llewellyn Allott R-CO
- Prescott Sheldon Bush R-CT
- William Arthur Purtell R-CT
- 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
- Everett McKinley Dirksen R-IL
- Homer Earl Capehart R-IN
- William Ezra Jenner R-IN
- Andrew Frank Schoeppel R-KS
- Frank Carlson R-KS
- Earle C. Clements D-KY
- Allen Joseph Ellender 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
- William Stuart (Stuart) Symington D-MO
- James Oliver Eastland D-MS
- John Cornelius Stennis D-MS
- 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
- Norris H. Cotton R-NH
- Clifford Philip Case R-NJ
- Howard Alexander Smith R-NJ
- Clinton Presba Anderson D-NM
- Alan Harvey Bible D-NV
- George Wilson Malone R-NV
- Irving McNeil Ives R-NY
- George Harrison Bender R-OH
- John William Bricker R-OH
- Almer Stillwell Mike Monroney D-OK
- Robert Samuel Kerr D-OK
- Edward Martin R-PA
- James Henderson Duff R-PA
- Theodore Francis Green D-RI
- James Strom Thurmond D-SC
- Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston D-SC
- Francis Higbee Case R-SD
- Karl Earl Mundt R-SD
- Lyndon Baines Johnson D-TX
- Marion Price Daniel D-TX
- Arthur Vivian Watkins R-UT
- Wallace Foster Bennett R-UT
- Absalom Willis Robertson D-VA
- Harry Flood Byrd D-VA
- George David Aiken R-VT
- Ralph Edward Flanders R-VT
- Alexander Wiley R-WI
- Joseph Raymond Mccarthy R-WI
- Frank Aloysius Barrett R-WY
Voted present
- Herman Welker R-ID
- John Marshall Butler R-MD
- Edward John Thye R-MN
- Carey Estes Kefauver D-TN
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-132/s-j-res-31-electoral-reform-substitute-proposal-to (accessed 2026-10-17).