Key Votes

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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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
May 27, 2008 IL HB 5288 Expand Use of Red Light Cameras Bill Failed - Senate (26 - 24)
May 27, 2008 CA AB 2654 Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws Bill Passed - House (48 - 30)
May 27, 2008 RI S 2081 Allowing Sixteen- and Seventeen-Year-Olds to Pre-register to Vote Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 4)
May 27, 2008 MI SB 776 Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Bill Passed - House (74 - 32)
May 27, 2008 RI S 2112 National Popular Vote Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 10)
May 22, 2008 IL HB 2310 Truancy, Information Sharing, and Fines Bill Passed - House (85 - 25)
May 22, 2008 MS SB 2004 Voter Identification Requirement Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 17)
May 22, 2008 MS SB 2011 Increasing Unemployment Benefits Bill Passed - Senate (46 - 3)
May 21, 2008 SC H 3816 Bankruptcy Exemptions Veto Override Passed - House (78 - 26)
May 21, 2008 SC H Amdt 3A Cigarette Tax Increase for Employee Health Care Amendment Tabled - House (67 - 51)
May 21, 2008 SC H Amdt 4A Cigarette Tax for Small Business Employee Health Care Amendment Tabled - House (60 - 58)
May 21, 2008 SC H Amdt 7A To Reduce Income Tax Amendment Tabled - House (68 - 52)
May 19, 2008 AZ SB 1476 Reducing Probation for Good Behavior Bill Passed - House (35 - 18)
May 16, 2008 MO HB 1549, 1771, 1395, 2366 Undocumented Immigrants Conference Report Adopted - Senate (27 - 7)
May 16, 2008 MO HB 1549, 1771, 1395, 2366 Undocumented Immigrants Conference Report Adopted - House (136 - 12)
May 16, 2008 MO SB 1038 Repealing Campaign Contribution Limits Bill Passed - House (83 - 72)
May 15, 2008 MN HF 3195 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap and Trade Program Report Conference Report Adopted - Senate (41 - 22)
May 15, 2008 NH HB 1509 Allocation of Gambling/Gaming Profits Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 8)
May 15, 2008 IL SB 2052 Taxes for Levee Repair Bill Passed - House (64 - 44)
May 15, 2008 IL HB 4758 Fairgrounds Racetrack Authority Bill Passed - House (83 - 28)
May 15, 2008 CA SB 1589 Uncorroborated Jailhouse Informant Testimony Ban Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 14)
May 15, 2008 MN SF 960 Modification of the Definition of Dependents for Local Government Benefits Bill Passed - House (83 - 50)
May 15, 2008 MN SF 960 Modification of the Definition of Dependents for Local Government Benefits Bill Passed - House (83 - 50)
May 14, 2008 AZ HB 2557 Fine Arts and Physical Education in School Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 9)
May 14, 2008 NH CACR 34 Constitutional Amendment to Define an Adequate Education Resolution Failed - House (97 - 238)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/27 HB 5288 Expand Use of Red Light Cameras Bill Failed - Senate (26 - 24)
5/27 AB 2654 Expanding Anti-Discrimination Laws Bill Passed - House (48 - 30)
5/27 S 2081 Allowing Sixteen- and Seventeen-Year-Olds to Pre-register to Vote Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 4)
5/27 SB 776 Late-Term/Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Bill Passed - House (74 - 32)
5/27 S 2112 National Popular Vote Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 10)
5/22 HB 2310 Truancy, Information Sharing, and Fines Bill Passed - House (85 - 25)
5/22 SB 2004 Voter Identification Requirement Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 17)
5/22 SB 2011 Increasing Unemployment Benefits Bill Passed - Senate (46 - 3)
5/21 H 3816 Bankruptcy Exemptions Veto Override Passed - House (78 - 26)
5/21 H Amdt 3A Cigarette Tax Increase for Employee Health Care Amendment Tabled - House (67 - 51)
5/21 H Amdt 4A Cigarette Tax for Small Business Employee Health Care Amendment Tabled - House (60 - 58)
5/21 H Amdt 7A To Reduce Income Tax Amendment Tabled - House (68 - 52)
5/19 SB 1476 Reducing Probation for Good Behavior Bill Passed - House (35 - 18)
5/16 HB 1549, 1771, 1395, 2366 Undocumented Immigrants Conference Report Adopted - Senate (27 - 7)
5/16 HB 1549, 1771, 1395, 2366 Undocumented Immigrants Conference Report Adopted - House (136 - 12)
5/16 SB 1038 Repealing Campaign Contribution Limits Bill Passed - House (83 - 72)
5/15 HF 3195 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap and Trade Program Report Conference Report Adopted - Senate (41 - 22)
5/15 HB 1509 Allocation of Gambling/Gaming Profits Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 8)
5/15 SB 2052 Taxes for Levee Repair Bill Passed - House (64 - 44)
5/15 HB 4758 Fairgrounds Racetrack Authority Bill Passed - House (83 - 28)
5/15 SB 1589 Uncorroborated Jailhouse Informant Testimony Ban Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 14)
5/15 SF 960 Modification of the Definition of Dependents for Local Government Benefits Bill Passed - House (83 - 50)
5/15 SF 960 Modification of the Definition of Dependents for Local Government Benefits Bill Passed - House (83 - 50)
5/14 HB 2557 Fine Arts and Physical Education in School Concurrence Vote Passed - House (47 - 9)
5/14 CACR 34 Constitutional Amendment to Define an Adequate Education Resolution Failed - House (97 - 238)

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