Behind the Numbers: A Breakdown of the U.S. Senate Votes to Have TikTok Banned or Divested

On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed a U.S. funding bill, Public Law 118-50, that included a provision to force ByteDance, a Chinese-based company, to divest, or sell, TikTok or risk having the application banned from any use within the U.S. Currently, ByteDance is challenging the provision in U.S. courts as the clock is ticking until enforcement takes place. However, this provision would not make the President’s desk for signature without majority ‘Yes’ votes from the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. On March 13, 2024, the House passed H.R. 7521, the bill that would advance to the U.S. Senate for a vote. On March 14, 2024, the House sent the bill to the Senate for discussion and a vote.

We look behind the Senate vote that set the next stage for the provision to be included in the funding bill signed by the President to force ByteDance to either sell TikTok or have the application banned in the U.S.

The Senate Bill that Passed

On April 23, 2024, the Senate passed House Representative (H.R.) 815 – Making Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2024, and For Other Purposes that included a provision in the bill that would require ByteDance, parent company to TikTok, to either sell the application by a designated date or be forced to sell it. On April 24, 2024, the Senate sent the bill to President Biden for his signature.

Breakdown of the Vote

The Senate has 100 individuals elected as Senators. Each of the 50 states are represented by two senators. However, the following are not represented and do not have a vote in the Senate.

American Samoa
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
Washington, D.C.

By Yeas, Nays, Not Voting, and Present

79 of the 100 Senate votes were Yeas, or Yes, in favor of forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok or have its app banned in the United States.

18 of the 100 Senate votes were ‘Nays, or No, against forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok or have its app banned in the United States.

3 of 100 Senate votes were not voting, or opted not to vote on the bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or have its app banned in the United States.

By Political Party Affiliation

Of the 100 senators, 49 are Republicans who voted on H.R. 815. Of the 49 Republicans, 31 voted in favor of the bill, 15 voted against the bill, and three opted not to cast a vote on the bill.

Of the 100 senators, 47 are Democrats who voted on H.R. 815. Of the 47 Democrats, 45 voted in favor of the bill and two voted against the bill.

Of the 100 senators, four are Independents who voted on H.R. 815. Of the four Independents, three voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.

By U.S. Region

The 100 senators come from one of the four regions within the U.S. Based on the U.S. Census definition, the regions are as follows: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Using this information, there are 17 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in the Northeast; 26 Democrats and Republicans in the Midwest; 31 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in the South; and 26 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in the West.

For the Republicans, there is one senator in the Northeast, 17 in the Midwest, 22 in the South, and nine in the West.

In the Northeast, the one senator voted in favor of the bill.
In the Midwest, 11 voted in favor of the bill and six voted against the bill.
In the South, 13 voted in favor of the bill, six voted against the bill, and three opted not to cast a vote on the bill.
In the West, six voted in favor of the bill and three voted against the bill, and two opted not to cast a vote on the bill.

For the Democrats, there are 14 senators in the Northeast, nine in the Midwest, eight in the South, and 16 in the West.

In the Northeast, 13 voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.
In the Midwest, all nine voted in favor of the bill.
In the South, all eight voted in favor of the bill.
In the West, 15 voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.

For the Independents, there are two senators in the Northeast, zero in the Midwest, one in the South, and one in the West.

In the Northeast, one voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.
In the South, the one voted in favor of the bill.
In the West, the one voted in favor of the bill.

By Generational Group

The 100 senators represent four generational groups. Those generational groups included Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X (Gen X), and Millennials. Please note that there may be a difference of opinion and research on the age range among the generational groups. For our research, we settled on an age range to use when categorizing the generational groups. Based on this information, there are seven Democrats, Republicans, and Independents of the Silent Generation; 66 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents of the Baby Boomer Generation; 23 Gen X Democrats, Republicans, and Independents; and four Millennial Democrats and Republicans.

For the Republicans, three are from the Silent Generation, 32 are Baby Boomers, 11 are Gen Xers, and three are Millennials.

Among the Silent Generation, all three voted in favor of the bill.
Among the Baby Boomers, 22 voted in favor of the bill, eight voted against the bill, and two opted not to cast a vote on the bill.
Among Gen Xers, five voted in favor of the bill, five voted against the bill, and one opted not to cast a vote on the bill.
Among the Millennials, one voted in favor of the bill and two voted against the bill.

For the Democrats, two are from the Silent Generation, 33 are Baby Boomers, 11 are Gen Xers, and one is a Millennial.

Among the Silent Generation, all two voted in favor of the bill.
Among the Baby Boomers, 31 voted in favor of the bill and two voted against the bill.
Among Gen Xers, all 11 voted in favor of the bill.
The one Millennial voted in favor of the bill.

For the Independents, two are from the Silent Generation, one is a Baby Boomer, and one is a Gen Xer.

Among the Silent Generation, one voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.
The one Baby Boomer voted in favor of the bill.
The one Gen Xer voted in favor of the bill.

By Gender

The 100 senators consist of 75 males and 25 females representing Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

For the Republicans, there are 40 males and nine females in the Senate.

Among the males, 24 voted in favor of the bill, 13 voted against the bill, and three opted not to cast a vote on the bill.
Among the females, seven voted in favor of the bill and two voted against the bill.

For the Democrats, there are 32 males and 15 females in the Senate.

Among the males, 30 voted in favor of the bill and two voted against the bill.
All 15 females voted in favor of the bill.

For the Independents, there are three males and one female in the Senate.

Among the males, three voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.
The one female voted in favor of the bill.

By Class Grouping

Many individuals in the U.S. may not know that the 100 senators are grouped into three different classes when elected to the Senate. U.S. Constitution, Article I, section 3, clause 2 establishes the rule of classifying Senators, “Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the First Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes.” The founders established the class grouping to allow the rotation of election for senators without concerns of instability within the federal government. The three classes are as follows:

Class I in which the terms for senators in this grouping expire in 2025 and must seek reelection.
Class II in which the terms for senators in this grouping expire in 2027 and must seek reelection.
Class III in which the terms for senators in this grouping expire in 2029 and must seek reelection.

The senators’ grouping among the three classes could play a role in how they vote or active in government business. As a result, you need to pay close attention the class grouping of the senators and when they are up for reelection.

Within the Senate, 33 Republicans, Democrats, and Independents are grouped in Class I; 33 Republicans and Democrats are grouped in Class II; and 34 Republicans and Democrats are grouped in Class III.

For the Republicans, there are 10 are grouped in Class I, 20 are grouped in Class II, and 19 are grouped in Class III.

Among the Class I group, four voted in favor of the bill and six voted against the bill.
Among the Class II group, 16 voted in favor of the bill, three voted against the bill, and one opted not to vote on the bill.
Among the Class III group, 11 voted in favor of the bill, six voted against the bill, and two opted not to vote on the bill.

For the Democrats, there are 19 are grouped in Class I, 13 are grouped in Class II, and 15 are grouped in Class III.

In the Class I group, all 19 voted in favor of the bill.
Among the Class II group, 12 voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.
Among the Class III group, 14 voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.

All four Independents are grouped in Class I.

Among the Class I group, three voted in favor of the bill and one voted against the bill.

Takeaway

Overall, there was significant show of support, or 79 senators who voted, to force the sale of TikTok or risk being banned from the U.S. The remaining 21 senators either voted against or opted not to vote against H.R. 815 that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face having its app banned from use in the United States. The Senate votes broken down by political party affiliation, U.S. regions, generational group, gender, class grouping provided more insight into how the voting played out among these demographics and groupings. For those impacted, it is important to obtain as much information as possible on those senators who voted for, against, or did not vote. Having this information helps strategize your business or nonprofit decisions, plan outreach efforts, better educate yourself about senators, and become more proactive in dealing with the political matters that impact you, business, or nonprofit that operates in the U.S.