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 22, 2020 | VA | HB 207 | Establishes Permanent Absentee Voter List | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (21 - 19) |
| April 16, 2020 | UT | HB 3006 | Amends the Election Code to Provide for 2020 Primary Election Exclusively by Mail | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 0) |
| April 15, 2020 | KY | HB 351 | Increases Taxes on Tobacco Products and Authorizes the Expansion of Absentee Voting | Veto Override Passed - Senate (24 - 9) |
| April 15, 2020 | KY | HB 351 | Increases Taxes on Tobacco Products and Authorizes the Expansion of Absentee Voting | Veto Override Passed - House (57 - 32) |
| April 14, 2020 | KY | SB 2 | Amends Voter Identification Requirements | Veto Override Passed - House (60 - 29) |
| April 14, 2020 | KY | HB 336 | Amends the Time Frame That Gubernatorial Candidates Can Announce Running Mates | Veto Override Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| April 14, 2020 | KY | HB 336 | Amends the Time Frame That Gubernatorial Candidates Can Announce Running Mates | Veto Override Passed - House (55 - 34) |
| April 1, 2020 | KY | HB 351 | Increases Taxes on Tobacco Products and Authorizes the Expansion of Absentee Voting | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (68 - 22) |
| March 30, 2020 | SD | HB 1298 | Amends the Date of the State Primary | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (27 - 5) |
| March 25, 2020 | OH | HB 197 | Establishes Relief Provisions in Response to the COVID-19 Emergency | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (92 - 0) |
| March 25, 2020 | OH | HB 197 | Establishes Relief Provisions in Response to the COVID-19 Emergency | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 0) |
| March 12, 2020 | UT | HB 70 | Repeals Single Mark Straight-Ticket Voting | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (44 - 27) |
| March 12, 2020 | GA | SB 463 | Amends Election Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (35 - 19) |
| March 11, 2020 | NY | S 5073 | Establishes a School Voter Registration Access Program | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 18) |
| March 11, 2020 | FL | SB 1794 | Increases Signature Threshold for Initiative Petitions | Bill Passed - House (73 - 45) |
| March 11, 2020 | MD | SB 390 | Prohibits a Defeated Primary Candidate from Running as a Write-In Candidate for the General Election | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 6) |
| March 10, 2020 | SD | SB 180 | Repeals and Amends Certain Regulations Surrounding the Petition Circulation Process | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
| March 9, 2020 | FL | SB 1794 | Increases Signature Threshold for Initiative Petitions | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 17) |
| March 9, 2020 | TN | HB 2363 | Amends Voter Registration Penalties | Bill Passed - House (74 - 20) |
| March 7, 2020 | VA | HB 201 | Authorizes Same-Day Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (21 - 17) |
| March 7, 2020 | VA | HB 235 | Establishes and Authorizes a Process for Automatic Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (21 - 18) |
| March 7, 2020 | VA | HB 19 | Repeals Photo Identification Requirement for Voting | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 19) |
| March 7, 2020 | WA | SB 6313 | Authorizes 16 and 17 Year Olds to Opt Out of the Automatic Voter Pre-Registration Process | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 21) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 19 | Repeals Photo Identification Requirement for Voting | Conference Report Adopted - House (54 - 45) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 235 | Establishes and Authorizes a Process for Automatic Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - House (53 - 46) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 201 | Authorizes Same-Day Voter Registration | Conference Report Adopted - House (52 - 44) |
| March 5, 2020 | VA | HB 1255 | Establishes a Constitutional Amendment to Create an Independent Redistricting Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (54 - 45) |
| March 5, 2020 | WA | SB 6313 | Authorizes 16 and 17 Year Olds to Opt Out of the Automatic Voter Pre-Registration Process | Bill Passed - House (56 - 41) |
| March 5, 2020 | SD | SB 128 | Authorizes Campaign Contributions from Indian Tribal Entities | Bill Passed - House (47 - 20) |
| March 3, 2020 | IA | SF 2348 | Requires Restitution Payment from Felons for Restoration of Voting Rights | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 11) |
| March 3, 2020 | HI | HB 2128 | Increases Number of Voting Centers Per County | Bill Passed - House (43 - 6) |
| March 2, 2020 | VA | HB 1210 | Requires Voting and Election Materials in Languages Other Than English | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (60 - 38) |
| Feb. 28, 2020 | VA | HB 1210 | Requires Voting and Election Materials in Languages Other Than English | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 13) |
| Feb. 27, 2020 | KY | SB 62 | Authorizes the Restoration of Voting Rights 5 Years After Completion of Sentence for Certain Felonies | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 7) |
| Feb. 26, 2020 | VA | HB 1 | Authorizes Absentee Voting Without Needing Excuse | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 34) |
| Feb. 24, 2020 | VA | HB 1 | Authorizes Absentee Voting Without Needing Excuse | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 15) |
| Feb. 24, 2020 | VA | SB 601 | Establishes Election Day to Replace Lee-Jackson Day | Bill Passed - House (55 - 44) |
| Feb. 13, 2020 | AZ | SB 1434 | Establishes Regulations for Recall Elections | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
| Feb. 12, 2020 | AK | HB 83 | Requires the Establishment of Regulations for Voting by Electronic Transmission | Bill Passed - House (28 - 11) |
| Feb. 11, 2020 | VA | HB 177 | Requires Virginia to Elect the President by National Popular Vote | Bill Passed - House (51 - 46) |
| Feb. 7, 2020 | VA | HB 1103 | Authorizes Ranked Choice Voting | Bill Passed - House (57 - 42) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | VA | HB 220 | Requires Prepaid Postage on All Absentee Ballots | Bill Passed - House (60 - 38) |
| Feb. 6, 2020 | VA | HB 108 | Establishes Election Day as a State Holiday | Bill Passed - House (55 - 42) |
| Feb. 4, 2020 | VA | SB 65 | Repeals State Photo Identification Voter ID Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 19) |
| Jan. 23, 2020 | KY | SB 2 | Amends Voter Identification Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 9) |
| Jan. 21, 2020 | ME | LD 517 | Authorizes Placing a Candidate's "Nickname" on a Ballot | Veto Override Failed - House (83 - 57) |
| Jan. 21, 2020 | VA | SB 601 | Establishes Election Day to Replace Lee-Jackson Day | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 18) |
| Jan. 16, 2020 | DE | HB 73 | Amends the Delaware Constitution to Authorize the General Assembly to Pass Laws On Absentee Voting | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 5) |
| Jan. 13, 2020 | NJ | S 589 | Amends Online Voter Registration Rules | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 10) |
| Jan. 8, 2020 | NH | HB 506 | Authorizes Employees Time to Vote | Bill Passed - House (186 - 173) |