Supermajority

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A supermajority is a voting requirement that demands a proposal receive a higher number of votes than a simple majority in order to have effect. Examples at the congressional and state level include: a two-thirds supermajority of both houses to propose a Congress-driven constitutional amendment; a three-quarters supermajority of state legislatures for final adoption of any constitutional amendment; and a two-thirds supermajority in both houses to pass a congressional bill over the president's veto.[1][2]

Two-thirds majority

A two-thirds majority is a common supermajoritarian requirement. There are two kinds of two-thirds majority: the simple and the absolute.

A simple two-thirds majority means two-thirds of the those present or more must agree to the proposition.

An absolute two-thirds majority means two-thirds of the entire membership of a body or more must agree to the proposition. It is stronger than a simple requirement.[3]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ National Archives, "Constitutional Amendment Process," accessed September 23, 2025
  2. ↑ National Archives, "The Presidential Veto and Congressional Veto Override Process," accessed September 23, 2025
  3. ↑ Chicago Unbound, "Absolute Voting Rules," 2005
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