free vote

British

noun

a parliamentary division in which members are not constrained by a party whip

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

MSPs were granted a free vote on the proposals, meaning they were not whipped to vote along party lines.

From BBC

MSPs will be allowed a free vote on the issue, meaning they will not be whipped by their parties.

From BBC

Parliamentarians have been given a free vote on the bill, meaning they are not "whipped" by their party to vote one way or the other.

From BBC

SNP MSP Michelle Thomson, who rebelled against the government, told the BBC's Scotcast that her party should have been given a free vote on the bill.

From BBC

In this menacing climate anything approaching a free vote is unimaginable.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023