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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 2019 | FL | HB 5 | Increases Ballot Initiative Signature Collection Requirements | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (67 - 43) |
| May 3, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1318 | Amends Campaign Finance Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (40 - 24) |
| May 2, 2019 | CO | SB 19-235 | Expands Automatic Voter Registration System | Bill Passed - House (40 - 23) |
| May 2, 2019 | ME | LD 431 | Establishes Election Day as a State Holiday | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - House (74 - 69) |
| April 30, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1278 | Authorizes Primary Voting for 17 Year Olds and Increases Rural Voter Services | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (38 - 27) |
| April 29, 2019 | MO | HJR 48 | Establishes a Constitutional Amendment to Amend Campaign Finance and State Election Laws | Bill Passed - House (104 - 49) |
| April 24, 2019 | FL | HB 7089 | Requires Felons to Pay Court Fees Prior to Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (71 - 45) |
| April 16, 2019 | NV | AB 186 | Authorizes Nevada to Join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact | Bill Passed - House (23 - 17) |
| April 15, 2019 | TN | HB 1079 | Increases Penalties for Voter Registration Errors | Bill Passed - House (71 - 26) |
| April 10, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1266 | Authorizes Voting Rights to Paroled Felons | Bill Passed - House (45 - 19) |
| March 29, 2019 | ID | S 1159 | Increases Threshold for Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - House (40 - 30) |
| March 29, 2019 | ID | H 296 | Amends Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - House (47 - 22) |
| March 25, 2019 | ID | S 1113 | Amends Campaign Finance Regulations | Bill Passed - House (52 - 15) |
| March 19, 2019 | DE | HB 38 | Amends Early Voting Regulations | Bill Passed - House (34 - 6) |
| March 18, 2019 | AZ | SB 1072 | Requires Identification for Early Voting | Bill Passed - House (31 - 27) |
| March 14, 2019 | UT | HB 119 | Increases Ballot Initiative Voter Referendum Requirements | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 12) |
| March 14, 2019 | DE | SB 22 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (24 - 17) |
| March 14, 2019 | National | H Con Res 24 | Expressing the sense of Congress that the report of Special Counsel Mueller should be made available to the public and to Congress. | Bill Passed - House (420 - 0) |
| March 13, 2019 | UT | HB 145 | Amends Initiative and Referendum Provisions and Nomination Petition Provisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (50 - 21) |
| March 9, 2019 | WV | SB 622 | Increases Election and Campaign Contribution Limits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (57 - 42) |
| March 8, 2019 | National | HR 1 | For the People Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (234 - 193) |
| March 7, 2019 | NH | HB 611 | Increases Access to Absentee Voting | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - House (198 - 163) |
| March 7, 2019 | NH | HB 105 | Repeals State Photo Identification Voter ID Laws | Bill Passed - House (209 - 155) |
| March 4, 2019 | WA | SB 5273 | Amends Presidential Primary Dates | Bill Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| March 1, 2019 | HI | HB 210 | Establishes Ranked Choice Voting | Bill Passed - House (41 - 9) |
| Feb. 28, 2019 | NH | HB 706 | Establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission | Bill Passed - House (218 - 123) |
| Feb. 23, 2019 | VA | HJR 615 | Establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission | Conference Report Adopted - House (83 - 15) |
| Feb. 21, 2019 | CO | SB 19-042 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (34 - 29) |
| Feb. 19, 2019 | VA | SB 1026 | Authorizes No-Excuse Absentee Voting | Bill Passed - House (89 - 10) |
| Feb. 7, 2019 | MO | HB 445 | Prohibits Lobbyist Gifts to Government Officials | Bill Passed - House (103 - 47) |
| Feb. 1, 2019 | NM | HB 55 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (41 - 27) |
| Jan. 31, 2019 | MT | HB 245 | Increases Ballot Initiative Signature Collection Requirements | Bill Passed - House (60 - 39) |
| Jan. 29, 2019 | SD | HB 1027 | Amends Election Day Voting Laws Related to Voting Centers and Precinct Workers | Bill Passed - House (50 - 20) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | S 1102 | Establishes Early Voting Period | Bill Passed - House (110 - 33) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 776 | Limits Campaign Contributions by Closing LLC Loophole | Bill Failed - House (133 - 13) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 774 | Authorizes Voter Pre-Registration | Bill Passed - House (107 - 39) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 775 | Requires the Transference of Registration and Enrollment of Voters after Moving | Bill Passed - House (114 - 32) |
| Dec. 20, 2018 | MI | SB 1239 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (60 - 48) |
| Dec. 20, 2018 | MI | SB 1238 | Authorizes State Absentee Ballot Voting | Bill Passed - House (57 - 51) |
| Dec. 18, 2018 | MI | SB 1176 | Establishes Misdemeanor Crimes for Public Officials Requiring nonprofit groups Disclose Donors Information | Bill Passed - House (58 - 51) |
| Dec. 12, 2018 | MI | HB 6595 | Increases Requirements for State Ballot Initiatives | Bill Passed - House (60 - 49) |
| Dec. 5, 2018 | WI | SB 884 | Reduces Period for Early Voting and Limits Powers of the State Attorney General | Bill Passed - House (56 - 27) |
| Oct. 29, 2018 | NJ | A 4674 | Authorizes US Congresspersons to Run for Congress and Presidency during Primary Election | Bill Passed - House (47 - 26) |
| Sept. 26, 2018 | MI | HB 5548 | Establishes Online Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (107 - 0) |
| July 9, 2018 | ME | LD 1912 | Prohibit Campaign Fundraising at Voting Place | Bill Passed - House (81 - 48) |
| July 2, 2018 | CA | AB 216 | Authorizes Free Postage for Vote by Mail | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 14) |
| June 28, 2018 | CA | SB 1171 | Authorizes Same Day Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (53 - 23) |
| June 27, 2018 | NC | SB 325 | Amends One-Stop Voting Schedules | Veto Override Passed - House (74 - 45) |
| June 27, 2018 | NC | SB 813 | Requires the Redistricting of Asheville City Council Districts | Bill Passed - House (64 - 52) |
| June 26, 2018 | NC | HB 1092 | Requires Photo Identification to Vote | Bill Passed - House (74 - 43) |
| June 26, 2018 | NC | HB 913 | Establishes a Bipartisan Board of Ethics and Election Enforcement | Amendment Adopted - House (74 - 44) |
| June 21, 2018 | NJ | A 3463 | Requires Polling Places to Post Count of Voters | Bill Passed - House (49 - 23) |
| June 20, 2018 | NC | SB 486 | Amends Various Election Laws | Veto Override Passed - House (74 - 42) |
| June 13, 2018 | NC | HB 496 | Amends Placement of Candidates on Official Election Ballots Laws | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (80 - 30) |
| June 5, 2018 | NC | SB 757 | Requires Judicial Redistricting | Bill Passed - House (70 - 45) |
| May 17, 2018 | LA | HB 265 | Authorizes Registration and Voting by Individuals Convicted of Felonies | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (55 - 42) |
| May 17, 2018 | LA | SB 31 | Prohibits Convicted Felons From Obtaining Public Office | Bill Passed - House (70 - 24) |
| May 11, 2018 | MO | HJR 100 | Prohibits Counting Non-Citizens for Redistricting Purposes | Bill Passed - House (90 - 34) |
| May 2, 2018 | KS | HB 2539 | Amends Gubernatorial Qualifications | Conference Report Adopted - House (70 - 52) |
| April 27, 2018 | CO | HB 18-1403 | Expands Disclosure Requirements | Bill Passed - House (35 - 29) |
| April 26, 2018 | CT | HB 5421 | Authorizes National Popular Vote Interstate Compact | Bill Passed - House (77 - 73) |
| April 12, 2018 | NJ | A 2014 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration at More Locations | Bill Passed - House (50 - 23) |
| March 28, 2018 | MD | SB 1048 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (93 - 46) |
| March 26, 2018 | SD | SB 76 | Amends Voter Registration | Veto Override Passed - House (56 - 7) |
| March 15, 2018 | MI | HB 5669 | Authorizes Additional Forms of Voter Identification | Bill Passed - House (62 - 44) |
| March 8, 2018 | MD | HB 532 | Establishes Election Day Voter Registration and Same-Day Voting | Bill Passed - House (91 - 46) |
| March 7, 2018 | WA | HB 2595 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (50 - 48) |
| March 6, 2018 | NH | HB 1264 | Amends Residency Definiton | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - House (171 - 144) |
| March 3, 2018 | OR | SB 1510 | Amends Election Laws | Bill Passed - House (35 - 23) |
| Feb. 13, 2018 | AZ | HB 2153 | Prohibits Localities from Requiring Campaign Donation Disclosure | Bill Passed - House (33 - 25) |
| Feb. 12, 2018 | WA | HB 1513 | Authorizes Automatic Voter Pre-Registration for 16 and 17 Year Old Individuals | Bill Passed - House (52 - 46) |
| Feb. 7, 2018 | NM | HB 49 | Amends Municipality Recall Elections | Bill Passed - House (47 - 21) |
| Feb. 2, 2018 | CO | HB 18-1033 | Expands Employee Leave | Bill Passed - House (35 - 28) |
| Jan. 23, 2018 | AL | HB 17 | Repeals Special Elections | Bill Passed - House (67 - 31) |
| Oct. 17, 2017 | NC | S 656 | Prohibits Part Primaries for Certain 2018 Court Elections | Veto Override Passed - House (72 - 40) |
| Sept. 26, 2017 | PA | HB 171 | Authorizes Any Registered Vote to be Appointed a Poll Watcher | Bill Passed - House (106 - 91) |
| June 21, 2017 | OH | HB 41 | Amends Absentee Voting Procedures | Bill Passed - House (64 - 30) |
| June 6, 2017 | NC | SB 655 | Establishes New Primary Election Dates | Bill Passed - House (71 - 46) |
| June 1, 2017 | NH | SB 3 | Establishes New Voter Eligibility Requirements | Bill Passed - House (191 - 162) |
| May 31, 2017 | RI | H 5702A | Authorizes Automatic Voter Registration at DMV | Bill Passed - House (62 - 10) |
| May 6, 2017 | TX | HB 25 | Prohibits One-Punch Straight Ticket Voting | Bill Passed - House (88 - 57) |
| May 4, 2017 | CA | AB 84 | Authorizes Earlier Presidential Primary | Bill Passed - House (52 - 20) |
| April 27, 2017 | MI | HB 4177 | Amends Guidelines for Party Labels on Ballots | Bill Passed - House (63 - 46) |
| April 21, 2017 | MT | SB 368 | Increases the Individual Limit for Campaign Contributions | Bill Passed - House (54 - 46) |
| March 30, 2017 | ME | LD 156 | Authorizes National Popular Vote Interstate Compact | Bill Failed - House (66 - 73) |
| March 20, 2017 | CA | AB 18 | Authorizes a Ballot Measure to Appropriate $3 Billion to State Parks | Bill Passed - House (59 - 19) |
| March 16, 2017 | NJ | S 3048 | Requires Presidential Candidates to Disclose Tax Returns | Bill Passed - House (49 - 25) |
| March 9, 2017 | IA | HF 516 | Requires Identification to Vote | Bill Passed - House (59 - 40) |
| March 8, 2017 | NC | H 100 | Restores Partisan Court Elections | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 43) |
| Feb. 22, 2017 | NV | IP 1 | Requires Automatic Voter Registration when Applying for Driver's License | Bill Passed - House (27 - 15) |
| Jan. 31, 2017 | AR | HB 1047 | Requires Voters to Provide Identification When Voting | Bill Passed - House (74 - 21) |
| Sept. 14, 2016 | MO | HB 1631 | Requires Individuals to Present Certain Identification to Vote | Veto Override Passed - House (115 - 41) |
| May 31, 2016 | CA | AB 2466 | Expands Voting Rights for Certain Convicted Felons | Bill Passed - House (41 - 37) |
| May 25, 2016 | OH | SB 296 | Requires Bond for Extended Polling Hours | Bill Passed - House (64 - 32) |
| May 4, 2016 | MO | HB 1631 | Requires Individuals to Present Certain Identification to Vote | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (112 - 38) |
| April 27, 2016 | LA | HB 598 | Amends Voter Registration Policies for Convicted Felons | Bill Failed - House (37 - 60) |
| March 29, 2016 | AZ | SB 1516 | Repeals Certain Campaign Finance Reforms | Bill Passed - House (31 - 27) |
| March 21, 2016 | MD | HB 1007 | Establishes Electronic Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (93 - 43) |
| March 14, 2016 | KY | HB 290 | Authorizes In-Person Absentee Voting | Bill Passed - House (57 - 37) |
| Feb. 24, 2016 | MS | HB 868 | Amends State Supreme Court District Boundaries | Bill Passed - House (71 - 50) |