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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 20, 2020 | NM | SB 4 | Establishes 2020 General Election Procedures | Bill Passed - House (44 - 26) |
| June 18, 2020 | CA | AB 860 | Authorizes Vote By Mail Absentee Ballots | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (68 - 5) |
| June 18, 2020 | DE | HB 346 | Authorizes Voting by Mail for 2020 Elections | Bill Passed - House (25 - 13) |
| June 14, 2020 | IA | HF 2643 | Establishes a General Fund Budget and Limits Actions of County Auditors Regarding Absentee Ballot Requests | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (51 - 41) |
| June 12, 2020 | VT | S 348 | Authorizes Mail-In Absentee Voting for the 2020 General Election | Bill Passed - House (115 - 29) |
| June 11, 2020 | IA | HF 2486 | Requires the Secretary of State to Receive Legislative Consent Prior to Sending Absentee Ballot Requests | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (95 - 2) |
| June 4, 2020 | OH | HB 680 | Establishes Absentee Voting Requirements | Bill Passed - House (61 - 35) |
| June 3, 2020 | IA | SF 2348 | Requires Restitution Payment from Felons for Restoration of Voting Rights | Bill Passed - House (51 - 45) |
| May 21, 2020 | IL | SB 1863 | Expands Absentee Voting for the Upcoming General Election | Bill Passed - House (72 - 43) |
| May 15, 2020 | MO | SB 631 | Authorizes Mail-In Voting During COVID-19 Pandemic | Conference Report Adopted - House (121 - 24) |
| May 12, 2020 | SC | S 635 | Expands Access to Absentee Voting | Conference Report Adopted - House (108 - 0) |
| May 9, 2020 | MN | HF 3429 | Appropriates Funds and Establishes Procedures for Safe State Primaries and General Elections | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (122 - 10) |
| April 22, 2020 | VA | HB 207 | Establishes Permanent Absentee Voter List | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (52 - 43) |
| 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 - 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 25, 2020 | OH | HB 197 | Establishes Relief Provisions in Response to the COVID-19 Emergency | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (92 - 0) |
| March 12, 2020 | UT | HB 70 | Repeals Single Mark Straight-Ticket Voting | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (44 - 27) |
| March 11, 2020 | FL | SB 1794 | Increases Signature Threshold for Initiative Petitions | Bill Passed - House (73 - 45) |
| March 9, 2020 | TN | HB 2363 | Amends Voter Registration Penalties | Bill Passed - House (74 - 20) |
| 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) |