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. 1, 2018 | National | HR 5515 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (87 - 10) |
| July 26, 2018 | National | HR 5515 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 | Conference Report Adopted - House (359 - 54) |
| June 18, 2018 | National | HR 5515 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 | Bill Passed - Senate (85 - 10) |
| May 24, 2018 | National | HR 5515 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 | Bill Passed - House (351 - 66) |
| May 3, 2018 | VT | H 25 | Amends State Domestic Terrorism Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 0) |
| April 26, 2018 | National | PN 1761 | Nomination of Mike Pompeo to Secretary of State | (57 - 42) |
| April 26, 2018 | National | PN 1761 | Nomination of Mike Pompeo to Secretary of State | Cloture Invoked - Senate (57 - 42) |
| Jan. 18, 2018 | National | S 139 | FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (65 - 34) |
| Jan. 11, 2018 | National | S 139 | FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 | Bill Passed - House (256 - 164) |
| Dec. 14, 2017 | National | HR 4324 | Strengthening Oversight of Iran's Access to Finance Act | Bill Passed - House (252 - 167) |
| Oct. 26, 2017 | National | HR 1698 | Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act | Bill Passed - House (423 - 2) |
| Oct. 24, 2017 | National | HR 3898 | Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act | Bill Passed - House (415 - 2) |
| July 27, 2017 | National | HR 3364 | Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act | Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 2) |
| July 25, 2017 | National | HR 3364 | Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act | Bill Passed - House (419 - 3) |
| March 30, 2017 | MO | HB 151 | Requires REAL ID Compliance | Bill Passed - House (99 - 40) |
| Sept. 15, 2016 | National | HR 5351 | To Prohibit the Transfer of Any Individual Detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba | Bill Passed - House (244 - 174) |
| June 20, 2016 | National | S Amdt 4720 | Prohibits the Transfer of Firearms to Suspected Terrorists | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (47 - 53) |
| June 20, 2016 | National | S Amdt 4749 | Authorizes the Attorney General to Delay Transfer of Firearms to Suspected Terrorists | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 47) |
| Jan. 20, 2016 | National | HR 4038 | American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (55 - 43) |
| Dec. 3, 2015 | National | HR 8 | North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act | Bill Passed - House (249 - 174) |
| Nov. 19, 2015 | National | HR 4038 | American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act | Bill Passed - House (289 - 137) |
| Oct. 27, 2015 | National | S 754 | Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) of 2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (74 - 21) |
| June 16, 2015 | National | HR 2596 | Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 | Bill Passed - House (247 - 178) |
| June 2, 2015 | National | HR 2048 | Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring (USA FREEDOM) Act of 2015 | Bill Passed - Senate (67 - 32) |
| May 5, 2015 | National | S Con Res 11 | An Original Concurrent Resolution Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2016 and Setting Forth the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2017 Through 2025 | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (51 - 48) |