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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 2, 2009 | NY | A 40003 | Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - House (88 - 51) |
| Dec. 2, 2009 | NY | A 40003 | Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Failed - Senate (24 - 38) |
| Oct. 8, 2009 | MA | SB 2028 | Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Plan | Bill Passed - House (114 - 36) |
| Sept. 10, 2009 | CA | AB 524 | Privacy Law Expansion | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (57 - 20) |
| Sept. 9, 2009 | CA | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Sept. 8, 2009 | CA | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| Sept. 8, 2009 | CA | AB 524 | Privacy Law Expansion | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 15) |
| Sept. 4, 2009 | CA | AB 793 | Clarifying Statute of Limitations for Wage Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| Sept. 3, 2009 | CA | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Bill Passed - House (46 - 28) |
| Sept. 3, 2009 | CA | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Bill Passed - House (47 - 29) |
| Aug. 5, 2009 | NC | SB 461 | Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 18) |
| July 15, 2009 | NC | HB 1185 | Habitual DWI Reinstatement after Ten Years | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (87 - 29) |
| July 15, 2009 | NC | SB 461 | Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences | Bill Passed - House (61 - 54) |
| June 29, 2009 | DE | SB 169 | Health Clinic Access | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 3) |
| June 25, 2009 | NJ | A 3101 | Creating Homelessness Trust Funds | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 27) |
| June 24, 2009 | DE | SB 121 | Adding Sexual Orientation to Delaware Anti-Discriminatory Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 5) |
| June 24, 2009 | DE | SB 121 | Adding Sexual Orientation to Delaware Anti-Discriminatory Laws | Bill Passed - House (26 - 14) |
| June 23, 2009 | OR | HB 2377 | Prohibiting Handheld Cell Phone Use While Driving | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 13) |
| June 22, 2009 | AZ | HCR 2019 | Ends Affirmative Action | Amendment Adopted - Senate (17 - 11) |
| June 22, 2009 | AZ | SB 1443 | Driving While Texting | Bill Failed - Senate (14 - 15) |
| June 22, 2009 | AZ | SB 1440 | Smoking in Cars with Minors | Bill Failed - Senate (9 - 20) |
| June 19, 2009 | OR | SB 519 | Mandatory Workplace Meetings | Bill Passed - House (34 - 24) |
| June 18, 2009 | LA | HB 340 | Religious Freedom Constitutional Amendment | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (53 - 26) |
| June 18, 2009 | NJ | A 3101 | Creating Homelessness Trust Funds | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 7) |
| June 18, 2009 | AZ | HCR 2019 | Ends Affirmative Action | Amendment Adopted - House (32 - 18) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/02 | A 40003 | Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - House (88 - 51) |
| 12/02 | A 40003 | Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Failed - Senate (24 - 38) |
| 10/08 | SB 2028 | Pandemic and Disaster Preparedness Plan | Bill Passed - House (114 - 36) |
| 9/10 | AB 524 | Privacy Law Expansion | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (57 - 20) |
| 9/09 | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 9/08 | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 14) |
| 9/08 | AB 524 | Privacy Law Expansion | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 15) |
| 9/04 | AB 793 | Clarifying Statute of Limitations for Wage Discrimination Lawsuits | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16) |
| 9/03 | SB 572 | Harvey Milk Day | Bill Passed - House (46 - 28) |
| 9/03 | SB 54 | Recognizing Out-of-State Same-Sex Marriages | Bill Passed - House (47 - 29) |
| 8/05 | SB 461 | Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 18) |
| 7/15 | HB 1185 | Habitual DWI Reinstatement after Ten Years | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (87 - 29) |
| 7/15 | SB 461 | Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences | Bill Passed - House (61 - 54) |
| 6/29 | SB 169 | Health Clinic Access | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 3) |
| 6/25 | A 3101 | Creating Homelessness Trust Funds | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 27) |
| 6/24 | SB 121 | Adding Sexual Orientation to Delaware Anti-Discriminatory Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 5) |
| 6/24 | SB 121 | Adding Sexual Orientation to Delaware Anti-Discriminatory Laws | Bill Passed - House (26 - 14) |
| 6/23 | HB 2377 | Prohibiting Handheld Cell Phone Use While Driving | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 13) |
| 6/22 | HCR 2019 | Ends Affirmative Action | Amendment Adopted - Senate (17 - 11) |
| 6/22 | SB 1443 | Driving While Texting | Bill Failed - Senate (14 - 15) |
| 6/22 | SB 1440 | Smoking in Cars with Minors | Bill Failed - Senate (9 - 20) |
| 6/19 | SB 519 | Mandatory Workplace Meetings | Bill Passed - House (34 - 24) |
| 6/18 | HB 340 | Religious Freedom Constitutional Amendment | Concurrence Vote Failed - House (53 - 26) |
| 6/18 | A 3101 | Creating Homelessness Trust Funds | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 7) |
| 6/18 | HCR 2019 | Ends Affirmative Action | Amendment Adopted - House (32 - 18) |