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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 20, 2016 | VA | HB 815 | Amends Death Penalty Procedures | Bill Passed - House (59 - 40) |
| March 25, 2016 | MS | SB 2237 | Establishes Identity Protections for Execution Teams | Bill Passed - House (79 - 40) |
| March 11, 2016 | VA | HB 815 | Amends Death Penalty Procedures | Conference Report Adopted - House (65 - 32) |
| Feb. 10, 2016 | VA | HB 815 | Amends Death Penalty Procedures | Bill Passed - House (62 - 33) |
| Jan. 28, 2016 | DE | SB 40 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Failed - House (16 - 23) |
| July 29, 2015 | NC | HB 774 | Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 34) |
| April 29, 2015 | NC | HB 774 | Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions | Bill Passed - House (84 - 33) |
| March 11, 2015 | AL | HB 18 | Authorizes Execution by Electrocution | Bill Passed - House (76 - 26) |
| Feb. 13, 2015 | UT | HB 11 | Authorizes Execution by Firing Squad | Bill Passed - House (39 - 34) |
| Feb. 12, 2015 | WY | SF 13 | Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution | Bill Passed - House (32 - 28) |
| Dec. 17, 2014 | OH | HB 663 | Requires Confidentiality of Death Penalty Information | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (66 - 23) |
| April 16, 2014 | TN | SB 2580 | Authorizes the Use of Certain Execution Methods | Bill Passed - House (68 - 13) |
| March 12, 2014 | NH | Amdt 916h | Exempts Individuals Convicted of Capital Murder from the Death Penalty | Amendment Rejected - House (85 - 245) |
| March 12, 2014 | NH | HB 1170 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (225 - 104) |
| March 6, 2014 | AL | HB 379 | Requires Confidentiality for Lethal-Injection Drug Suppliers | Bill Passed - House (77 - 19) |
| Jan. 22, 2014 | VA | HB 1052 | Authorizes the Use of Alternative Methods of Execution | Bill Passed - House (64 - 32) |
| June 5, 2013 | NC | SB 306 | Repeals the Racial Justice Act | Bill Passed - House (77 - 39) |
| April 25, 2013 | FL | HB 7083 | Limits Post-Conviction Death Penalty Appeals | Bill Passed - House (84 - 34) |
| March 15, 2013 | MD | SB 276 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (82 - 56) |
| July 2, 2012 | NC | SB 416 | Death Penalty Discrimination | Veto Override Passed - House (72 - 48) |
| June 13, 2012 | NC | SB 416 | Death Penalty Discrimination | Bill Passed - House (73 - 47) |
| April 11, 2012 | CT | SB 280 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (86 - 62) |
| June 16, 2011 | NC | SB 9 | Death Penalty Discrimination | Bill Passed - House (64 - 52) |
| Jan. 6, 2011 | IL | SB 3539 | Abolishing the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (60 - 54) |
| Feb. 3, 2010 | VA | HB 502 | Expanding Death Penalty Eligibility to Accomplices | Bill Passed - House (74 - 24) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/20 | HB 815 | Amends Death Penalty Procedures | Bill Passed - House (59 - 40) |
| 3/25 | SB 2237 | Establishes Identity Protections for Execution Teams | Bill Passed - House (79 - 40) |
| 3/11 | HB 815 | Amends Death Penalty Procedures | Conference Report Adopted - House (65 - 32) |
| 2/10 | HB 815 | Amends Death Penalty Procedures | Bill Passed - House (62 - 33) |
| 1/28 | SB 40 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Failed - House (16 - 23) |
| 7/29 | HB 774 | Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 34) |
| 4/29 | HB 774 | Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions | Bill Passed - House (84 - 33) |
| 3/11 | HB 18 | Authorizes Execution by Electrocution | Bill Passed - House (76 - 26) |
| 2/13 | HB 11 | Authorizes Execution by Firing Squad | Bill Passed - House (39 - 34) |
| 2/12 | SF 13 | Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution | Bill Passed - House (32 - 28) |
| 12/17 | HB 663 | Requires Confidentiality of Death Penalty Information | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (66 - 23) |
| 4/16 | SB 2580 | Authorizes the Use of Certain Execution Methods | Bill Passed - House (68 - 13) |
| 3/12 | Amdt 916h | Exempts Individuals Convicted of Capital Murder from the Death Penalty | Amendment Rejected - House (85 - 245) |
| 3/12 | HB 1170 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (225 - 104) |
| 3/06 | HB 379 | Requires Confidentiality for Lethal-Injection Drug Suppliers | Bill Passed - House (77 - 19) |
| 1/22 | HB 1052 | Authorizes the Use of Alternative Methods of Execution | Bill Passed - House (64 - 32) |
| 6/05 | SB 306 | Repeals the Racial Justice Act | Bill Passed - House (77 - 39) |
| 4/25 | HB 7083 | Limits Post-Conviction Death Penalty Appeals | Bill Passed - House (84 - 34) |
| 3/15 | SB 276 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (82 - 56) |
| 7/02 | SB 416 | Death Penalty Discrimination | Veto Override Passed - House (72 - 48) |
| 6/13 | SB 416 | Death Penalty Discrimination | Bill Passed - House (73 - 47) |
| 4/11 | SB 280 | Repeals the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (86 - 62) |
| 6/16 | SB 9 | Death Penalty Discrimination | Bill Passed - House (64 - 52) |
| 1/06 | SB 3539 | Abolishing the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (60 - 54) |
| 2/03 | HB 502 | Expanding Death Penalty Eligibility to Accomplices | Bill Passed - House (74 - 24) |