Force the Vote is a political strategy that has been used in different contexts. Here are some of the ways in which the term has been used:

• Medicare for All: In December 2020, the idea of Force the Vote was proposed by political commentator Jimmy Dore as a way to pressure progressive members of the US House of Representatives to withhold their votes for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House until she publicly pledged to bring Medicare for All to a floor vote. The idea was to use the leverage of the Speaker vote to force a vote on Medicare for All. Supporters of the strategy argued that it would expose which members of Congress were truly committed to the policy, while opponents argued that it was a risky and divisive tactic that could backfire.

• Acquisition or merger agreements: In the context of business law, Force the Vote refers to a clause in an acquisition or merger agreement that requires the board of directors of the target company to submit the proposed transaction to a vote of the shareholders.

• Progressive strategy: Some progressives have used the term Force the Vote more broadly to refer to a strategy of using leverage to push for policy goals. For example, in January 2021, Convergence Magazine argued that progressives needed an "inside/outside approach" where organizations take input from elected officials but play the lead role in setting strategy. In the same month, House Progressives launched a petition demanding that every progressive in Congress refuse to vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House until she publicly pledged to bring Medicare for all to a floor vote.

It is worth noting that the term Force the Vote is not a widely recognized or established political strategy, but rather a term that has been used in different contexts by different groups.