This was a vote on a motion by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) instructing the Sergeant-at-Arms to request the presence of absent senators. (This motion is known as a “live quorum,” or a “mandatory quorum.”

The Sergeant-at-Arms is the chief law enforcement officer in the Senate. An appointee of the Majority Leader, he is responsible for compelling the presence of absent Senators during a quorum call.) Reid made this motion to force senators to be present for debate on legislation intended to prevent U.S. companies from outsourcing jobs to other countries.

There was no debate on this motion. Politico’s Meredith Shiner, however, reported: “…Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is resorting to a messaging war against Republicans in the final week before the chamber adjourns for elections…Reid announced Friday he will hold a rare live quorum call Monday at 7 p.m. — meaning that all members will need to come to the floor for a mandatory head count — followed by procedural vote Tuesday morning on an anti-outsourcing jobs bill, which does not have the votes to clear a GOP filibuster but gives Democrats a chance to talk about overseas jobs and tax loopholes and slam the Republican economic agenda…. Not only is it [the live quorum] a nuisance to the minority, but… Reid can make for good television by forcing senators to debate each other rather than speak to an empty room.”

The Senate agreed to this motion by a vote of 48-25.  Voting “yea” were 46 Democrats and 2 Republicans. 25 Republicans voted “nay.” As a result, the Senate agreed to a motion requiring senators to report to the Senate floor, which Sen. Harry Reid used to force senators to be present for debate on legislation intended to prevent U.S. companies from outsourcing jobs to other countries.