07 May Close Calls: 5 Roll Calls That Came Down to a Handful of Votes

Compiled from Congress.gov records, 2023-05-07.

The closest votes

These roll calls were decided by a margin of 5 or fewer. In each, a small number of members swinging the other way would have changed the outcome.

1. HCONRES40 — 2026-04-16 (house): 213 Yea, 213 Nay, margin of 0. Yea-and-Nay → Failed
2. HRES1174 — 2026-04-15 (house): 211 Yea, 211 Nay, margin of 0. Yea-and-Nay → Passed
3. HCONRES68 — 2026-01-22 (house): 215 Yea, 215 Nay, margin of 0. Yea-and-Nay → Failed
4. SJRes98 — 2026-01-14 (senate): 49 Yea, 49 Nay, margin of 0. On the Point of Order S.J.Res. 98 → Point of Order Well Taken (50-50, Vice President of the United States, voted Yea)
5. SJRes82 — 2025-12-18 (senate): 49 Yea, 49 Nay, margin of 0. On the Joint Resolution S.J.Res. 82 → Joint Resolution Defeated (50-50)

Why close votes matter

A 218-217 House passage isn’t the same political signal as a 380-50 passage, even though both result in “passed”. Close votes reveal which legislation has fragile coalitions, which members hold leverage, and where future fights are likely to land.

To see who voted how on any of these, click the bill link above. Methodology.