Institutional powers and thresholds reference

Use this page to review the numeric thresholds that recur across the course.

Action	Threshold / rule
Ordinary bill, final passage	Simple majority of those voting in each chamber, assuming a quorum
Cloture on ordinary legislation	Three-fifths of senators duly chosen and sworn under the current Senate rule; ordinarily 60 when all 100 seats are filled
Cloture on most nominations	Simple majority under current Senate precedent
Override a presidential veto	Two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate
Impeachment (House)	Simple majority vote to impeach
Conviction after impeachment (Senate)	Two-thirds of senators present
Senate consent to a treaty	Two-thirds of senators present. The Senate gives consent; the president completes ratification
Constitutional amendment, proposal	Two-thirds of both chambers of Congress, or a convention called on application of two-thirds of state legislatures
Constitutional amendment, ratification	Three-fourths of the states, by legislatures or conventions as Congress specifies
Electoral College	538 electoral votes in the current allocation. When all 538 electors are appointed, 270 is the majority needed to elect the president. Constitutionally, the requirement is a majority of the whole number of electors appointed
Individual contribution to a federal candidate committee	Subject to a federal per-election contribution limit that is indexed for inflation and can change by election cycle. Use the current FEC limit when a question supplies or requires a dollar amount

Campaign-finance dollar limits can change by election cycle. For exam preparation, focus on the durable distinction: direct contributions to candidates are regulated and subject to source and amount limits; independent expenditures are not coordinated with a candidate and receive different First Amendment treatment.