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. 8, 2011 | National | HR 514 | Extension of Various USA PATRIOT Act Provisions | Bill Failed - House (277 - 148) |
| Feb. 8, 2011 | WY | HB 204 | Patriotism in the Classroom | Bill Passed - House (52 - 5) |
| Feb. 7, 2011 | SD | HB 1152 | Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients | Bill Failed - House (32 - 36) |
| Feb. 7, 2011 | WY | HB 198 | Admissibility of Evidence in Sex Offense Cases | Bill Failed - House (29 - 30) |
| Feb. 7, 2011 | WY | HB 198 | Admissibility of Evidence in Sex Offense Cases | Bill Failed - House (29 - 30) |
| Feb. 3, 2011 | UT | HB 223 | Innkeeper's Rights Act Modification | Bill Failed - House (22 - 48) |
| Feb. 1, 2011 | ID | H 26 | Increment in fees for felonies and misdemeanors | Bill Failed - House (31 - 35) |
| Jan. 26, 2011 | SC | H 3003 | Voter ID | Bill Passed - House (74 - 45) |
| Jan. 26, 2011 | WY | HB 29 | Mandatory Testing for Suspected DUI Offenders | Bill Passed - House (35 - 23) |
| Jan. 21, 2011 | MT | HB 167 | Criminalizes Death to an Unborn Child | Bill Passed - House (68 - 30) |
| Jan. 6, 2011 | IL | SB 3539 | Abolishing the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (60 - 54) |
| Date | No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2/08 | HR 514 | Extension of Various USA PATRIOT Act Provisions | Bill Failed - House (277 - 148) |
| 2/08 | HB 204 | Patriotism in the Classroom | Bill Passed - House (52 - 5) |
| 2/07 | HB 1152 | Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients | Bill Failed - House (32 - 36) |
| 2/07 | HB 198 | Admissibility of Evidence in Sex Offense Cases | Bill Failed - House (29 - 30) |
| 2/07 | HB 198 | Admissibility of Evidence in Sex Offense Cases | Bill Failed - House (29 - 30) |
| 2/03 | HB 223 | Innkeeper's Rights Act Modification | Bill Failed - House (22 - 48) |
| 2/01 | H 26 | Increment in fees for felonies and misdemeanors | Bill Failed - House (31 - 35) |
| 1/26 | H 3003 | Voter ID | Bill Passed - House (74 - 45) |
| 1/26 | HB 29 | Mandatory Testing for Suspected DUI Offenders | Bill Passed - House (35 - 23) |
| 1/21 | HB 167 | Criminalizes Death to an Unborn Child | Bill Passed - House (68 - 30) |
| 1/06 | SB 3539 | Abolishing the Death Penalty | Bill Passed - House (60 - 54) |