casting vote

American  

noun

1. the deciding vote of the presiding officer of a deliberative body, made when the other votes are equally divided.

---

casting vote British  

noun

1. the deciding vote used by the presiding officer of an assembly when votes cast on both sides are equal in number

---

Etymology

Origin of casting vote

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

casting vote

The board could be evenly split 3-3, requiring a casting vote from Gov. Shin, he added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

The move was defeated, but only after the presiding officer had to use her casting vote because of a tied vote by MSs.

From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2023

The NPS, which approved the merger, held a larger stake in Samsung C&T and was viewed as a casting vote.

From Reuters ● Jun. 20, 2023

With her casting vote, Ms. Weldon first chose Mr. Rushdie’s book, then had second thoughts.

From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2023

In May 1664, Hooke was a candidate for the post of professor of geometry at Gresham College, but lost out on the casting vote of the Lord Mayor.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin