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 7, 2009 | VT | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - House (100 - 49) |
| April 7, 2009 | VT | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - House (100 - 49) |
| April 7, 2009 | VT | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - Senate (23 - 5) |
| April 7, 2009 | VT | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - Senate (23 - 5) |
| April 6, 2009 | CO | SB 170 | Expanding In-State Tuition Eligibility | Motion Rejected - Senate (16 - 18) |
| April 6, 2009 | ND | HB 1171 | Home School Deregulation | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |
| April 6, 2009 | TN | HB 962 | Authorizing Guns in Restaurants that Serve Alcohol | Bill Passed - House (70 - 26) |
| April 6, 2009 | MD | HB 302 | Allowing Judges to Confiscate Firearms from Domestic Abuse Suspects | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 15) |
| April 6, 2009 | MD | HB 302 | Allowing Judges to Confiscate Firearms from Domestic Abuse Suspects | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 15) |
| April 3, 2009 | GA | HB 2 | Citizenship Status Verification of Government Assistance Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 16) |
| April 3, 2009 | GA | HB 2 | Citizenship Status Verification of Government Assistance Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (121 - 47) |
| April 3, 2009 | VT | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - House (94 - 52) |
| April 3, 2009 | VT | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - House (94 - 52) |
| April 3, 2009 | ND | SB 2278 | Prohibiting Sexual Orientation Discrimination | Bill Failed - House (34 - 54) |
| April 3, 2009 | ND | SB 2278 | Prohibiting Sexual Orientation Discrimination | Bill Failed - House (34 - 54) |
| April 3, 2009 | NE | LB 260 | Wrongful Conviction Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 9) |
| April 3, 2009 | ND | HB 1572 | Legislative Intent With Regards to the Legal Definition of Life | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 29) |
| April 3, 2009 | GA | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (30 - 13) |
| April 3, 2009 | GA | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (30 - 13) |
| April 3, 2009 | GA | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (140 - 67) |
| April 3, 2009 | GA | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (140 - 67) |
| April 2, 2009 | MT | HB 531 | Red Light Camera Prohibition | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 11) |
| April 2, 2009 | MD | SB 277 | Authorizing Speed Monitoring Systems | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |
| April 2, 2009 | AK | HB 35 | Parental Consent for Underage Abortions | Bill Passed - House (22 - 14) |
| April 2, 2009 | MD | SB 277 | Authorizing Speed Monitoring Systems | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/07 | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - House (100 - 49) |
| 4/07 | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - House (100 - 49) |
| 4/07 | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - Senate (23 - 5) |
| 4/07 | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Veto Override Passed - Senate (23 - 5) |
| 4/06 | SB 170 | Expanding In-State Tuition Eligibility | Motion Rejected - Senate (16 - 18) |
| 4/06 | HB 1171 | Home School Deregulation | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |
| 4/06 | HB 962 | Authorizing Guns in Restaurants that Serve Alcohol | Bill Passed - House (70 - 26) |
| 4/06 | HB 302 | Allowing Judges to Confiscate Firearms from Domestic Abuse Suspects | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 15) |
| 4/06 | HB 302 | Allowing Judges to Confiscate Firearms from Domestic Abuse Suspects | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 15) |
| 4/03 | HB 2 | Citizenship Status Verification of Government Assistance Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (38 - 16) |
| 4/03 | HB 2 | Citizenship Status Verification of Government Assistance Recipients | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (121 - 47) |
| 4/03 | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - House (94 - 52) |
| 4/03 | S 115 | Same-Sex Marriage | Bill Passed - House (94 - 52) |
| 4/03 | SB 2278 | Prohibiting Sexual Orientation Discrimination | Bill Failed - House (34 - 54) |
| 4/03 | SB 2278 | Prohibiting Sexual Orientation Discrimination | Bill Failed - House (34 - 54) |
| 4/03 | LB 260 | Wrongful Conviction Compensation | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 9) |
| 4/03 | HB 1572 | Legislative Intent With Regards to the Legal Definition of Life | Bill Failed - Senate (16 - 29) |
| 4/03 | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (30 - 13) |
| 4/03 | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (30 - 13) |
| 4/03 | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (140 - 67) |
| 4/03 | SB 86 | Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration | Bill Passed - House (140 - 67) |
| 4/02 | HB 531 | Red Light Camera Prohibition | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 11) |
| 4/02 | SB 277 | Authorizing Speed Monitoring Systems | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |
| 4/02 | HB 35 | Parental Consent for Underage Abortions | Bill Passed - House (22 - 14) |
| 4/02 | SB 277 | Authorizing Speed Monitoring Systems | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 20) |