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 15, 2019 | TN | HB 1079 | Increases Penalties for Voter Registration Errors | Bill Passed - House (71 - 26) |
| April 11, 2019 | DE | HB 38 | Amends Early Voting Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 5) |
| April 11, 2019 | IL | SB 145 | Requires Presidential Candidates to Release Tax Returns | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 19) |
| April 10, 2019 | NC | SB 250 | Amends Voting Rolls to Correlate with Jury Selection Excusals | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 19) |
| April 10, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1266 | Authorizes Voting Rights to Paroled Felons | Bill Passed - House (45 - 19) |
| April 10, 2019 | IL | SB 2090 | Expands Access to Voting in Jails | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 17) |
| April 10, 2019 | IL | SB 1970 | Authorizes Student Absences for Voting | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 10) |
| April 9, 2019 | OR | SB 870 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
| April 3, 2019 | ID | H 296 | Amends Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
| March 29, 2019 | ID | S 1159 | Increases Threshold for Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - House (40 - 30) |
| March 29, 2019 | ID | H 296 | Amends Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - House (47 - 22) |
| March 28, 2019 | NH | SB 67 | Amends Definition of Resident and Residency | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (14 - 10) |
| March 28, 2019 | NH | SB 156 | Establishes Limits to Election Contributions by Limited Liability Corporations | (13 - 11) |
| March 28, 2019 | NH | SB 156 | Establishes Limits to Election Contributions by Limited Liability Corporations | (13 - 11) |
| March 26, 2019 | ID | H 270 | Authorizes Public Schools as Election Polling Sites | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
| March 25, 2019 | ID | S 1113 | Amends Campaign Finance Regulations | Bill Passed - House (52 - 15) |
| March 22, 2019 | ID | S 1159 | Increases Threshold for Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
| March 19, 2019 | DE | HB 38 | Amends Early Voting Regulations | Bill Passed - House (34 - 6) |
| March 18, 2019 | AZ | SB 1072 | Requires Identification for Early Voting | Bill Passed - House (31 - 27) |
| March 14, 2019 | UT | HB 119 | Increases Ballot Initiative Voter Referendum Requirements | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (59 - 12) |
| March 14, 2019 | DE | SB 22 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (24 - 17) |
| March 14, 2019 | National | H Con Res 24 | Expressing the sense of Congress that the report of Special Counsel Mueller should be made available to the public and to Congress. | Bill Passed - House (420 - 0) |
| March 13, 2019 | UT | HB 145 | Amends Initiative and Referendum Provisions and Nomination Petition Provisions | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (50 - 21) |
| March 12, 2019 | NM | HB 55 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 16) |
| March 12, 2019 | NC | SB 214 | Exempts Upcoming 2019 Election from Photo ID Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
| March 12, 2019 | WA | SB 5078 | Requires Presidential and VP Candidates Release 5 Years of Tax Returns | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
| March 9, 2019 | WV | SB 622 | Increases Election and Campaign Contribution Limits | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (57 - 42) |
| March 9, 2019 | WV | SB 622 | Increases Election and Campaign Contribution Limits | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (19 - 15) |
| March 8, 2019 | National | HR 1 | For the People Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (234 - 193) |
| March 7, 2019 | NH | HB 611 | Increases Access to Absentee Voting | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - House (198 - 163) |
| March 7, 2019 | NH | HB 105 | Repeals State Photo Identification Voter ID Laws | Bill Passed - House (209 - 155) |
| March 7, 2019 | DE | SB 22 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 7) |
| March 5, 2019 | HI | SB 216 | Requires Ballot Recount | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 0) |
| March 4, 2019 | SD | HB 1094 | Increases Transparency in the Petition Circulation Process | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
| March 4, 2019 | WA | SB 5273 | Amends Presidential Primary Dates | Bill Passed - House (54 - 42) |
| March 1, 2019 | HI | HB 210 | Establishes Ranked Choice Voting | Bill Passed - House (41 - 9) |
| Feb. 28, 2019 | NH | HB 706 | Establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission | Bill Passed - House (218 - 123) |
| Feb. 23, 2019 | VA | HJR 615 | Establishes an Independent Redistricting Commission | Conference Report Adopted - House (83 - 15) |
| Feb. 21, 2019 | CO | SB 19-042 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (34 - 29) |
| Feb. 21, 2019 | NJ | S 119 | Requires Certain Candidates To Disclose Income Tax Returns | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
| Feb. 19, 2019 | VA | SB 1026 | Authorizes No-Excuse Absentee Voting | Bill Passed - House (89 - 10) |
| Feb. 14, 2019 | AZ | SB 1072 | Requires Identification for Early Voting | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
| Feb. 7, 2019 | MO | HB 445 | Prohibits Lobbyist Gifts to Government Officials | Bill Passed - House (103 - 47) |
| Feb. 1, 2019 | NM | HB 55 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (41 - 27) |
| Jan. 31, 2019 | MT | HB 245 | Increases Ballot Initiative Signature Collection Requirements | Bill Passed - House (60 - 39) |
| Jan. 30, 2019 | WA | SB 5273 | Amends Presidential Primary Dates | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 18) |
| Jan. 29, 2019 | CO | SB 19-042 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 16) |
| Jan. 29, 2019 | SD | HB 1027 | Amends Election Day Voting Laws Related to Voting Centers and Precinct Workers | Bill Passed - House (50 - 20) |
| Jan. 15, 2019 | NY | A 774 | Authorizes Voter Pre-Registration | Bill Passed - Senate (47 - 14) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 775 | Requires the Transference of Registration and Enrollment of Voters after Moving | Bill Passed - Senate (49 - 12) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | S 1102 | Establishes Early Voting Period | Bill Passed - House (110 - 33) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 776 | Limits Campaign Contributions by Closing LLC Loophole | Bill Passed - Senate (55 - 6) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 774 | Authorizes Voter Pre-Registration | Bill Passed - House (107 - 39) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 776 | Limits Campaign Contributions by Closing LLC Loophole | Bill Failed - House (133 - 13) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | A 775 | Requires the Transference of Registration and Enrollment of Voters after Moving | Bill Passed - House (114 - 32) |
| Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | S 1102 | Establishes Early Voting Period | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 13) |