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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 27, 2018 | NJ | S 2293 | Authorizes a Ballot Measure to Issue $1 Billion in Funds for School Upgrades | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (65 - 0) |
| Aug. 27, 2018 | NJ | S 2293 | Authorizes a Ballot Measure to Issue $1 Billion in Funds for School Upgrades | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 0) |
| Aug. 6, 2018 | CA | SB 892 | Authorizes the Official Recognition of the Lunar New Year | Bill Passed - House (75 - 0) |
| July 31, 2018 | MA | H 4857 | Increases State Clean Energy Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 0) |
| July 30, 2018 | MA | H 4834 | Establishes Automatic Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (36 - 0) |
| July 30, 2018 | MA | H 4834 | Establishes Automatic Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (36 - 0) |
| July 19, 2018 | National | S Res 584 | A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate against the making available of current and former diplomats, officials, and members of the Armed Forces of the United States for questioning by the government of Vladimir Putin. | Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 0) |
| July 18, 2018 | National | PN 1645 | Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit | (50 - 49) |
| July 18, 2018 | MA | H 4546 | Authorizes Creation of Community Benefit Districts | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15) |
| July 17, 2018 | National | PN 1645 | Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit | Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49) |
| July 11, 2018 | National | PN 1402 | Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General | (51 - 48) |
| July 10, 2018 | National | PN 1402 | Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General | Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 48) |
| 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 30, 2018 | NJ | A 4208 | Establishes a New Jersey Complete Count Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (51 - 21) |
| June 29, 2018 | NC | HB 1092 | Requires Photo Identification to Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 12) |
| June 29, 2018 | NC | HB 1092 | Requires Photo Identification to Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 12) |
| June 28, 2018 | NC | HB 717 | Amends Judicial Divisions | Veto Override Passed - Senate (30 - 16) |
| June 28, 2018 | CA | AB 1838 | Prohibits Local Grocery Taxes | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (70 - 2) |
| June 28, 2018 | CA | AB 1838 | Prohibits Local Grocery Taxes | Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 7) |
| 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 | HB 717 | Amends Judicial Divisions | 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 27, 2018 | NC | HB 913 | Establishes a Bipartisan Board of Ethics and Election Enforcement | Amendment Adopted - Senate (32 - 14) |