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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 14, 2020 | KY | HB 336 | Amends the Time Frame That Gubernatorial Candidates Can Announce Running Mates | Veto Override Passed - House (55 - 34) |
| April 1, 2020 | KY | HB 351 | Increases Taxes on Tobacco Products and Authorizes the Expansion of Absentee Voting | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (68 - 22) |
| March 25, 2020 | OH | HB 197 | Establishes Relief Provisions in Response to the COVID-19 Emergency | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (92 - 0) |
| March 12, 2020 | UT | HB 70 | Repeals Single Mark Straight-Ticket Voting | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (44 - 27) |
| March 11, 2020 | FL | SB 1794 | Increases Signature Threshold for Initiative Petitions | Bill Passed - House (73 - 45) |
| March 9, 2020 | TN | HB 2363 | Amends Voter Registration Penalties | Bill Passed - House (74 - 20) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 19 | Repeals Photo Identification Requirement for Voting | Conference Report Adopted - House (54 - 45) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 235 | Establishes and Authorizes a Process for Automatic Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - House (53 - 46) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 201 | Authorizes Same-Day Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - House (52 - 44) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 1255 | Establishes a Constitutional Amendment to Create an Independent Redistricting Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| March 5, 2020 | WA | SB 6313 | Authorizes 16 and 17 Year Olds to Opt Out of the Automatic Voter Pre-Registration Process | Bill Passed - House (56 - 41) |
| March 5, 2020 | SD | SB 128 | Authorizes Campaign Contributions from Indian Tribal Entities | Bill Passed - House (47 - 20) |
| March 3, 2020 | HI | HB 2128 | Increases Number of Voting Centers Per County | Bill Passed - House (43 - 6) |
| March 2, 2020 | VA | HB 1210 | Requires Voting and Election Materials in Languages Other Than English | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 38) |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | VA | HB 1 | Authorizes Absentee Voting Without Needing Excuse | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 34) |
| Feb. 24, 2020 | VA | SB 601 | Establishes Election Day to Replace Lee-Jackson Day | Bill Passed - House (55 - 44) |
| Feb. 12, 2020 | AK | HB 83 | Requires the Establishment of Regulations for Voting by Electronic Transmission | Bill Passed - House (28 - 11) |
| Feb. 11, 2020 | VA | HB 177 | Requires Virginia to Elect the President by National Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (51 - 46) |
| Feb. 7, 2020 | VA | HB 1103 | Authorizes Ranked Choice Voting | Bill Passed - House (57 - 42) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | VA | HB 220 | Requires Prepaid Postage on All Absentee Ballots | Bill Passed - House (60 - 38) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | VA | HB 108 | Establishes Election Day as a State Holiday | Bill Passed - House (55 - 42) |
| Jan. 21, 2020 | ME | LD 517 | Authorizes Placing a Candidate's "Nickname" on a Ballot | Veto Override Failed - House (83 - 57) |
| Jan. 8, 2020 | NH | HB 506 | Authorizes Employees Time to Vote | Bill Passed - House (186 - 173) |
| Dec. 6, 2019 | National | HR 4 | Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (228 - 187) |
| Nov. 13, 2019 | OH | HB 272 | Prohibits State Officials From Changing the Time and Place of an Election | Bill Passed - House (91 - 0) |