vote down

reject a proposal or plan by voting against it

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What does "vote sth down" mean?

To vote down a proposal, bill, or motion means that a group of people — such as a parliament, committee, or board — formally rejects it through a vote. The key idea is collective decision-making: it is not one person saying no, but a group expressing its rejection through a democratic or procedural mechanism. 'Vote down' appears most often in political journalism, parliamentary reporting, and corporate governance, where proposals are put to a formal vote and defeated. The passive form — 'the bill was voted down' — is particularly common in news reporting, where the focus falls on the fate of the proposal rather than on who voted against it. Adverbs such as 'overwhelmingly', 'narrowly', and 'decisively' frequently accompany it, indicating the margin by which the proposal was defeated.

Examples

How to use it

group + vote down + proposal

The most common structure, with a collective subject (parliament, the committee, members) rejecting a proposal, bill, or motion.

The senate voted down the proposed healthcare reform by a wide margin.

group + vote + object (pronoun) + down

When the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and 'down' — it cannot follow 'down'.

The delegates reviewed the resolution and voted it down unanimously.

proposal + be voted down (+ by + group)

The passive is extremely natural and frequent, especially in journalism and official reporting, when the focus is on the proposal's fate.

The amendment was voted down by a majority of committee members.

vote down + long noun phrase

When the object is a long or formal title, it is more natural to keep it after 'down' rather than splitting the phrase.

Parliament voted down the government's proposed changes to the national pension framework.

vote down + object + overwhelmingly / narrowly / decisively

Adverbs indicating the margin of defeat are strong collocates and add authenticity to both active and passive constructions.

The membership voted down the proposed strike action overwhelmingly.

Common Collocations

a billa motiona proposalan amendmenta resolutiona measure

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'vote down' with 'vote out'

'Vote down' rejects a proposal, bill, or motion; 'vote out' removes a person from office. They are not interchangeable — the first targets ideas, the second targets individuals.

✗ The committee voted down the CEO after the scandal.
✓ The committee voted out the CEO after the scandal. / The committee voted down the proposed restructuring plan.
Using it for individual, non-voting rejection

'Vote down' requires a formal collective voting process. For one person or institution rejecting an offer or application without a ballot, 'turn down' is the correct choice.

✗ The manager voted down my request for a day off.
✓ The manager turned down my request for a day off. / The board voted down the merger proposal.
Pronoun placed after 'down'

When the object is a pronoun such as 'it' or 'them', it must come between 'vote' and 'down'. Placing a pronoun after 'down' is ungrammatical.

✗ The committee considered the motion and voted down it.
✓ The committee considered the motion and voted it down.

Usage

This phrasal verb is formal and most common in political and corporate contexts. In passive constructions ('the bill was voted down') it is especially frequent in news reporting and official records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'vote down' be used in the passive?

Yes — in fact, the passive is arguably the most common form in practice. Phrases like 'the bill was voted down' or 'the proposal was voted down by a large majority' appear constantly in political journalism and official records, because the focus is typically on what happened to the proposal rather than on who voted against it.

Can I say 'the committee is voting down the proposal' in the present continuous?

This sounds unnatural. Voting is treated as a single decisive event rather than an ongoing process, so the present continuous doesn't fit well. Use the simple present for reporting ('the senate votes down the measure') or the simple past for completed events ('the senate voted down the measure').

Does 'vote down' always involve a formal vote, or can it be used loosely?

It strongly implies a genuine, formal voting mechanism — a show of hands, a recorded division, a ballot, and so on. If no actual vote takes place, a different verb such as 'reject' or 'block' is more appropriate. Using 'vote down' without a real voting process would strike most fluent speakers as imprecise.

What kinds of subjects typically appear with 'vote down'?

The subject is almost always a collective group — parliament, the senate, the committee, shareholders, union members, delegates, or councillors. It would be unusual to use a singular individual as the subject, unless that person is acting as a formal representative of a group.

Is 'vote down' mainly used in British or American English?

It is used in both varieties and is not restricted to one. You will find it in reports on Westminster, the US Congress, the EU Parliament, corporate board meetings, and international bodies alike — it belongs to the shared vocabulary of political and institutional English.

Related Phrasal Verbs

shoot sth down

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