Roll call vote?

Roll call vote?

Reader question:

What is “roll call vote”?

My comments:

It helps if you understand what a “roll call” is.

A roll call is a list of names being called out, one by one and one after another. After each name is called, the person bearing that name answers “Yes”, unless he or she is absent.

Which, of course, is the main and sometimes only purpose of a roll call, to see is anyone is absent.

The “roll call” is a prevalent practice we see a lot in many different walks of life. At the beginning of a school class, for example, the teacher often does the roll call to see if anyone’s absent (possibly, playing truant again). At the beginning of a political convention, for another example, a roll call is performed to see if all delegates are present.

A roll call vote, then, is a vote in which each voter answers specifically whether he is for or against a piece of legislation. That is, if he or she is supportive, he or she answers “Yes” – or as in the old British way, “Aye”. If he or she is against the initiative, they answer “No” or “Nay”.

Apparently, this type of vote is different from an anonymous vote, in which delegates cast their vote in the ballot box without their exact opinion being known.

And, apparently, the roll call is aimed at transparency as it holds every voter accountable for their position.

Now, the question arises, what is “roll” in roll call?

The “roll” refers to a roll of paper carrying the list of all the names to be called. It is actually from Old French rolle, a rolled-up piece of paper or scroll.

A roll call, literally, is a call over a roll or scroll carrying all the names.

All right?

All right, here are examples of “roll call” in recent media:

1. Real Madrid superstar Bellingham, 20, has won the 2023 Golden Boy award for the best player in Europe aged under 21. And his roll call of achievements have ensured the Golden Boy has long since become a man.

Bellingham received the gong at a ceremony in Turin on Monday night and got the most votes of any winner in the award’s 20 year history. It is chosen by 50 journalists and was established by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport and looks certain to be the first of many.

Bellingham has already usurped Cristiano Ronaldo and Alfredo Di Stefano by scoring 14 goals in his first 15 games for Real Madrid.

He has already matched his goals record from all last season at Borussia Dortmund – and we are only just into December. He has scored in all but five games for Madrid this season. Former Birmingham starlet Bellingham became the first English player in history to score ten Champions League goals before turning 21.

Spanish newspaper Marca branded him “volcanic” after his last starring performance for Real Madrid in the Champions League, comparing him to Zinedine Zidane.

They wrote he only had to pull on Zidane’s Adidas Predator boots – and worked magic and now the Madrid fans sing “Hey Jude” to him. No-one settles this easily or quickly at the biggest club in the world.

Bellingham showcased a pair of Predator 30s in Real Madrid’s win over Napoli last week, a game in which he scored and assisted. The boots were iconic after the likes of Zidane and David Beckham wore them and now Bellingham is in good company.

- Jude Bellingham lands Golden Boy award as England star recognised for sensational year, Mirror.co.uk, December 4, 2023.

2. Deion Sanders isn’t holding grudges towards the people who raided Colorado’s locker room several weeks ago.

During the Buffaloes’ 28-16 loss to UCLA on Oct. 28th, the team had several pieces of jewelry, as well as cash and headphones stolen from its visiting locker room during the game.

“Let’s not crucify and punish these high school kids,” the Buffs’ head coach said in a news conference Tuesday.

“Okay, whatever the punishment that comes along with it, alright. Let that be that. Community service or whatever it is. But let’s not abort the rest of their opportunities and lives because of a mistake. Because if we were to really do a roll call of mistakes at the age of 17 or 18 in here, I’m sure everybody would tip out of here with their head down like we're in church, okay.”

Some of the missing items were returned to the team by mail, while others were seized by the Pasadena Police Department, who conducted a targeted search on the students based on tips. Two of the students are reportedly affiliated with the school’s football team, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“The [tips] played a crucial role in helping us ensure safety and security in our community,” the department said in a statement. “Our detectives worked diligently to follow up on all leads, which resulted in the quick execution of search warrants. The investigation will be ongoing.”

As to whether they’ve received all of the stolen items, Sanders answered “I have no idea. I haven’t checked with all the kids.”

But to the high school kids responsible for the thefts, he was unwavering in his grace towards them.

“Let’s make sure those kids atone for it. But let’s make sure they don’t lose their opportunity to change their lives. They’re kids. They made a stupid, dumb, idiotic mistake. Guess what, when I was 7 and 18 so did I. Alright, so did you. Praying for those kids. It was very unfortunate that we were on the other end of that, and some fans were stupid enough to say ‘oh they shouldn’t wear jewelry.’ Okay. Well you shouldn’t drive your car to work then. Then somebody steal that. But let’s pray for those kids man, and lift them up. And hopefully and prayerfully, they get another opportunity.”

- Deion Sanders speaks out on jewelry theft suspects: ‘Let’s not crucify them’, FoxSports.com, November 14, 2023.

3. In the tragic roll call of violence in American public life, Charlie Kirk’s name joins what has fast become a long list.

The influential 31-year old commentator, who cast his young professional life rousing other young people to embrace or debate his brand of conservatism, was slain doing what he does best: holding a provocative question-and-answer session on a college campus.

Kirk had been sparring with a questioner at Utah Valley University over who commits gun violence. Then the shot rang out.

President Donald Trump, a survivor of assassination attempts including at a 2024 campaign rally, announced on social media: Kirk was dead.

“It has to stop,” House Speaker Mike Johnson pleaded from the U.S. Capitol. “This is not who we are.”

Condemnation of the violence came quickly, from all corners and across the political divide, and it was universal. But it has never been enough. Within minutes a shouting match erupted during a moment of silence in the House. One Republican lawmaker wanted an actual prayer for Kirk; Democrats called for changes in gun laws. Online, certain far-right figures responded with anger and pointed blame. And so did Trump.

“We’re moving in a very dangerous direction, and I think we have been moving in this direction for quite some time,” said Kurt Braddock, an assistant professor of public communication at American University.

Though nothing is publicly known about the shooter or the motive in this case, Braddock said it can’t be ignored that polarization and normalization of violence have become threaded through U.S. politics.

“It’s incumbent on both sides to take steps to lower the temperature and make it clear that violence should never be considered an acceptable form of political action,” he said.

The nation’s long history of violence in the public realm carries many data points. It has felled presidents, presidential contenders, activists like Kirk and some of the most consequential figures in American civic life – Abraham Lincoln, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Among those who have survived the violence, Trump does not stand alone. Elected officials in the U.S. have been shot at and critically wounded while talking to voters outside a grocery store in Arizona; practicing for a congressional baseball game in Virginia; answering the door to their own home in Minnesota. The governor’s house in Pennsylvania was set ablaze as he and his family slept inside. Members of Congress fled the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

- Assassination of Charlie Kirk adds to America’s roll call of public violence, AP, September 11, 2025.

本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：张欣）