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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 24, 2007 | National | S 2205 | DREAM Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 44) |
| Oct. 22, 2007 | NY | S 6484 | Driver's License Citizenship Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 19) |
| Oct. 3, 2007 | National | S Amdt 3117 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (95 - 1) |
| Oct. 1, 2007 | National | HR 1585 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) |
| Oct. 1, 2007 | National | HR 1585 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) |
| Sept. 27, 2007 | National | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| Sept. 26, 2007 | National | S Amdt 3017 | Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | Amendment Adopted - Senate (76 - 22) |
| Sept. 26, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2997 | Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23) |
| Sept. 21, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2898 | Iraq Troop Reduction Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 47) |
| Sept. 20, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2934 | Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces | Amendment Adopted - Senate (72 - 25) |
| Sept. 20, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2947 | Expressing Support for All Men and Women in the U.S. Armed Forces | Amendment Rejected - Senate (50 - 47) |
| Sept. 19, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2022 | Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43) |
| Sept. 19, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2909 | Time Between Troop Deployments | Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 44) |
| Sept. 11, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2797 | Limiting Mexican Trucks to Commercial Zones Near the Border Between the U.S. and Mexico | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23) |
| Sept. 6, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2707 | Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion | Amendment Adopted - Senate (48 - 45) |
| Aug. 30, 2007 | CA | SB 924 | Iraq Withdrawal Ballot Question | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Aug. 30, 2007 | CA | SB 924 | Iraq Withdrawal Ballot Question | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Aug. 3, 2007 | National | S 1927 | Foreign Intelligence Acquisition | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28) |
| Aug. 3, 2007 | National | S 1927 | Foreign Intelligence Acquisition | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28) |
| July 26, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2405 | REAL ID Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44) |
| July 26, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2405 | REAL ID Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44) |
| July 26, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2480 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1) |
| July 26, 2007 | National | S Amdt 2480 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1) |
| July 26, 2007 | National | HR 1 | Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (85 - 8) |
| July 26, 2007 | National | HR 2638 | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 4) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/24 | S 2205 | DREAM Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 44) |
| 10/22 | S 6484 | Driver's License Citizenship Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 19) |
| 10/03 | S Amdt 3117 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (95 - 1) |
| 10/01 | HR 1585 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) |
| 10/01 | HR 1585 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 | Bill Passed - Senate (92 - 3) |
| 9/27 | HR 976 | State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (67 - 29) |
| 9/26 | S Amdt 3017 | Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps | Amendment Adopted - Senate (76 - 22) |
| 9/26 | S Amdt 2997 | Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Federalism in Iraq | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23) |
| 9/21 | S Amdt 2898 | Iraq Troop Reduction Amendment | Amendment Rejected - Senate (47 - 47) |
| 9/20 | S Amdt 2934 | Expressing Support for General Petraeus and All Members of the Armed Forces | Amendment Adopted - Senate (72 - 25) |
| 9/20 | S Amdt 2947 | Expressing Support for All Men and Women in the U.S. Armed Forces | Amendment Rejected - Senate (50 - 47) |
| 9/19 | S Amdt 2022 | Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43) |
| 9/19 | S Amdt 2909 | Time Between Troop Deployments | Amendment Rejected - Senate (56 - 44) |
| 9/11 | S Amdt 2797 | Limiting Mexican Trucks to Commercial Zones Near the Border Between the U.S. and Mexico | Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 23) |
| 9/06 | S Amdt 2707 | Prohibiting U.S. Assistance for Groups that Support Coercive Abortion | Amendment Adopted - Senate (48 - 45) |
| 8/30 | SB 924 | Iraq Withdrawal Ballot Question | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 8/30 | SB 924 | Iraq Withdrawal Ballot Question | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 8/03 | S 1927 | Foreign Intelligence Acquisition | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28) |
| 8/03 | S 1927 | Foreign Intelligence Acquisition | Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28) |
| 7/26 | S Amdt 2405 | REAL ID Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44) |
| 7/26 | S Amdt 2405 | REAL ID Funding | Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44) |
| 7/26 | S Amdt 2480 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1) |
| 7/26 | S Amdt 2480 | Border Fence and Customs Appropriations | Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1) |
| 7/26 | HR 1 | Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (85 - 8) |
| 7/26 | HR 2638 | Department of Homeland Security Appropriations | Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 4) |