Voting Procedure

A vote is a time at which delegates indicate whether they do or do not support a proposed action for the committee. There are two types: procedural and substantive.

Voting For
When supporting a proposed action for the committee, the delegates shall vote For, by raising their placard when asked.

Voting Against
When disagreeing with a proposed action for the committee, the delegates shall vote Against, by raising their placard when asked.

Abstention Vote
During the vote on a substantive matter, delegates may abstain rather than vote yes or no. This generally signals that a state does not support the resolution being voted on, but does not oppose it enough to vote against it. . An abstention is not in order while voting on procedural matters.

Veto Vote
The ability, held by China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States (the P5 countries) to prevent any substantive draft resolution in the Security Council from passing by vetoing it.

The veto does not apply to procedural votes, which is significant in that the Security Council's permanent membership can vote against a procedural draft resolution, without necessarily blocking its adoption by the Council.