Suppose fifty-seven senators support a bill and the remaining senators refuse to end debate. If all one hundred seats are filled, those fifty-seven supporters can form a majority for final passage but still fall short of the ordinary cloture threshold. Absences do not reduce the threshold to three-fifths of those present because Rule XXII refers to senators duly chosen and sworn. Once cloture is invoked, postcloture debate and amendment opportunities are limited under Senate rules, allowing the chamber to reach disposition.

Cloture does not pass the underlying measure. A senator may vote for cloture because the Senate should decide the question, then vote against final passage. Another senator may support the bill but oppose closing debate. Failure to invoke cloture likewise means that extended debate or obstruction continues; it does not amount to a final vote rejecting the bill on its merits.

Always identify the pending matter before choosing a threshold. Nominations operate under majority-vote precedents rather than the ordinary legislative cloture threshold, and a proposal to amend Senate rules can involve a different Rule XXII threshold. Distinguish cloture from a filibuster: the filibuster is the delaying or blocking strategy, while cloture is the formal procedure for limiting debate.

Video lesson: How a Bill Becomes a Law: Crash Course Government and Politics #9