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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 3, 2025 | National | PN 11-2 | Nomination of Pamela Bondi to be Attorney General | Cloture Invoked - Senate (52 - 46) |
| Feb. 3, 2025 | National | PN 11-22 | Nomination of Russell Vought to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget | Motion Agreed - Senate (51 - 46) |
| Jan. 30, 2025 | National | PN 11-15 | Nomination of Christopher Wright to be Secretary of Energy | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (59 - 38) |
| Jan. 30, 2025 | National | PN 11-3 | Nomination of Douglas Burgum to be Secretary of the Interior | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (79 - 18) |
| Jan. 30, 2025 | National | PN 11-5 | Nomination of Douglas Collins to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Cloture Invoked - Senate (83 - 13) |
| Jan. 30, 2025 | National | PN 11-15 | Nomination of Christopher Wright to be Secretary of Energy | Cloture Invoked - Senate (62 - 35) |
| Jan. 29, 2025 | National | PN 11-23 | Nomination of Lee Zeldin to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (56 - 42) |
| Jan. 29, 2025 | National | PN 11-23 | Nomination of Lee Zeldin to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | Cloture Invoked - Senate (56 - 42) |
| Jan. 28, 2025 | National | PN 11-6 | Nomination of Sean Duffy to be Secretary of Transportation | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (77 - 22) |
| Jan. 27, 2025 | National | PN 11-1 | Nomination of Scott Bessent to be Secretary of the Treasury | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (68 - 29) |
| Jan. 27, 2025 | National | PN 11-6 | Nomination of Sean Duffy to be Secretary of Transportation | Cloture Invoked - Senate (97 - 0) |
| Jan. 25, 2025 | National | PN 11-11 | Nomination of Kristi Noem to be Secretary of Homeland Security | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (59 - 34) |
| Jan. 25, 2025 | National | PN 11-1 | Nomination of Scott Bessent to be Secretary of the Treasury | Cloture Invoked - Senate (67 - 23) |
| Jan. 24, 2025 | National | PN 11-7 | Nomination of Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 50) |
| Jan. 24, 2025 | National | PN 11-11 | Nomination of Kristi Noem to be Secretary of Homeland Security | Cloture Invoked - Senate (61 - 39) |
| Jan. 23, 2025 | National | PN 11-19 | Nomination of John Ratcliffe to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (74 - 25) |
| Jan. 23, 2025 | National | PN 11-7 | Nomination of Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense | Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 49) |
| Jan. 23, 2025 | National | PN 11-19 | Nomination of John Ratcliffe to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Cloture Invoked - Senate (72 - 26) |
| Jan. 21, 2025 | National | PN 11-7 | Nomination of Peter Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense | Motion Agreed - Senate (53 - 47) |
| Jan. 21, 2025 | National | PN 11-19 | Nomination of John Ratcliffe to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Motion Agreed - Senate (54 - 46) |
| Jan. 20, 2025 | National | PN 11-13 | Nomination of Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (99 - 0) |
| Nov. 13, 2024 | National | PN 923 | Nomination of David Huitema to be Director of the Office of Government Ethics | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (50 - 46) |
| Oct. 8, 2024 | WV | SB 2039 | Amends Appropriations to Governor's Office and Civil Contingent Fund | Bill Passed - House (83 - 11) |
| Sept. 24, 2024 | National | PN 1342 | Nomination of Michael Sfraga of Alaska to be Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs | Nomination Confirmed - Senate (55 - 36) |
| Sept. 20, 2024 | National | HR 9106 | Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024 | Bill Passed - House (405 - 0) |