Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes:
Vote Smart provides a summary of the version of the bill text associated with each selected key vote. Our summaries are written by Vote Smart's staff and interns, who adhere to our strict policies and procedures in order to guarantee absolute impartiality and accuracy. They do not necessarily reflect the content of the final version of the bill, but rather the version voted on in that stage. While many procedural votes take place before a full chamber vote, our voting stages reflect the final reading of each chamber vote. Each key vote selection is reviewed by the project's community of advisors, who are political scientists and journalists from all fifty states.
For more information about the legislative process, see here.
| Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S Amdt 1491 | Requires Disclosure of Financial Transactions by Executive Branch Employees | Amendment Adopted - Senate (58 - 41) |
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S Amdt 1472 | Prohibits Consideration of Bills Containing Earmarks | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 59) |
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| Feb. 2, 2012 | National | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| Feb. 1, 2012 | IN | HB 1001 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Employees to Join a Labor Organization | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| Feb. 1, 2012 | WA | EHCR 4409 | Congressional and State Legislative Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (44 - 4) |
| Feb. 1, 2012 | RI | S 2178 | State Senate, State House, and Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 2) |
| Feb. 1, 2012 | WA | SB 6239 | Authorizes Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| Feb. 1, 2012 | VA | SB 484 | Requires an Ultrasound Prior to an Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18) |
| Jan. 31, 2012 | UT | SB 32 | Breast Cancer Screening | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 5) |
| Jan. 27, 2012 | UT | HB 286 | State House Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 0) |
| Jan. 26, 2012 | National | H J Res 98 | Disapproval of President's Authority to Raise the Debt Limit | Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
| Jan. 26, 2012 | National | H J Res 98 | Disapproval of President's Authority to Raise the Debt Limit | Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
| Jan. 23, 2012 | IN | SB 269 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Employees to Join or Pay Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| Jan. 20, 2012 | VA | HB 251 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 19) |
| Jan. 19, 2012 | TN | SB 1514 | State Senate Redistricting | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 10) |
| Jan. 18, 2012 | KY | HB 1 | State Senate, House, and Judicial Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14) |
| Jan. 13, 2012 | TN | HB 1558 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
| Jan. 13, 2012 | TN | HB 1555 | State House Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
| Dec. 17, 2011 | National | S Amdt 1465 | Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Extension | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 10) |
| Dec. 15, 2011 | National | HR 1540 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (86 - 13) |
| Dec. 14, 2011 | OH | HB 369 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 6) |
| Dec. 14, 2011 | National | S J Res 24 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Udall Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (21 - 79) |
| Dec. 14, 2011 | PA | SB 1249 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/02 | S Amdt 1491 | Requires Disclosure of Financial Transactions by Executive Branch Employees | Amendment Adopted - Senate (58 - 41) |
| 2/02 | S Amdt 1472 | Prohibits Consideration of Bills Containing Earmarks | Amendment Rejected - Senate (40 - 59) |
| 2/02 | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| 2/02 | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| 2/02 | S 2038 | Prohibits Insider Trading by Government Officials | Bill Passed - Senate (96 - 3) |
| 2/01 | HB 1001 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Employees to Join a Labor Organization | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| 2/01 | EHCR 4409 | Congressional and State Legislative Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (44 - 4) |
| 2/01 | S 2178 | State Senate, State House, and Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 2) |
| 2/01 | SB 6239 | Authorizes Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| 2/01 | SB 484 | Requires an Ultrasound Prior to an Abortion | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18) |
| 1/31 | SB 32 | Breast Cancer Screening | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 5) |
| 1/27 | HB 286 | State House Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 0) |
| 1/26 | H J Res 98 | Disapproval of President's Authority to Raise the Debt Limit | Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
| 1/26 | H J Res 98 | Disapproval of President's Authority to Raise the Debt Limit | Motion Rejected - Senate (44 - 54) |
| 1/23 | SB 269 | Prohibits Employers from Requiring Employees to Join or Pay Unions | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 22) |
| 1/20 | HB 251 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 19) |
| 1/19 | SB 1514 | State Senate Redistricting | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 10) |
| 1/18 | HB 1 | State Senate, House, and Judicial Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 14) |
| 1/13 | HB 1558 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
| 1/13 | HB 1555 | State House Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 10) |
| 12/17 | S Amdt 1465 | Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Extension | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 10) |
| 12/15 | HR 1540 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (86 - 13) |
| 12/14 | HB 369 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 6) |
| 12/14 | S J Res 24 | Proposing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Udall Bill) | Amendment Rejected - Senate (21 - 79) |
| 12/14 | SB 1249 | Congressional Redistricting | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 24) |