vote in the Senate defeats a bill. Canada The same arrangements as in Australia exist with respect to the Speakers of the Canadian House and Senate. Italy By convention, in both the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, the presiding officer never casts a vote. In the event of a tie, the item put up to a vote is automatically deemed defeated. New Zealand The Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives formerly held a casting vote, similar to that of the Speaker of the British House of Commons. Today, the Speaker simply votes as an ordinary member; since an outright majority is necessary for a bill to pass, a tied vote defeats a bill. Philippines In the Congress of the Philippines, the openly-partisan presiding officers of the two chambers have different rules on a casting vote: In the Senate, the President of the Senate always votes, and always votes last; thus, if the motion is tied, it is lost. In the House, the Speaker (or any presiding officer) only votes if there is a tie, otherwise the presiding officer abstains. United States The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives has an equal right to vote with any other member of the House if they are a member of the House of Representatives (which they always have been in practice but need not be per the constitution), but to maintain the appearance of impartiality, typically does not do so unless it would make a difference, which is a de facto casting vote. General elections United Kingdom At one time, in United Kingdom parliamentary elections, the Returning Officer (if an elector in the constituency) was allowed to give an additional casting vote to decide the election if there was a tie between two or more candidates. An example of this power being used was in the Bandon by-election of 22 July 1831. This type of casting vote does not now exist; after the 1866 Helston by-election, Parliament allowed candidates who tied to both be elected. Ties in United Kingdom elections are now broken by drawing lots, using a method decided upon by the Returning Officer. Canada In the Canadian provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick, the returning officer has a casting vote in the event of a tie. Ties in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and the territory of Yukon, are now broken by lots as they