A yes or no vote is a type of voting system in which voters are asked to respond with a vote of "yea" or "nay" to a single alternative, such as a bill or an amendment, that is pitted against the status quo. A yes-no voting system is simply a set of rules that specifies exactly which collections of "yea" votes yield passage of the issue at hand. The plurality voting method is commonly used for yes or no votes, where the option with the highest percentage of votes is declared the winner.

The meaning of a "yes" or "no" vote can vary depending on the context. For example, in the case of Colorados Proposition HH, a "yes" vote creates a discount on your property tax increase for 10 years, while a "no" vote makes no changes to the current property tax structure. In Ohios Issue One, a "yes" vote would raise the threshold to change the state constitution to at least 60%, while a "no" vote would keep it at 50% plus one vote.

In the US Senate, a roll-call vote is taken if one-fifth of a quorum of senators request it. In a roll-call vote, each senator votes "yea" or "nay" as his or her name is called by the clerk, who records the votes on a tally sheet. In most cases, a simple majority is required for a measure to pass.