Key Votes

Chamber

Keyword Search

Search string must be longer than 3 characters.

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:

  1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
  2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand
  3. The vote has received media attention
  4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
  5. Occasionally, if a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the Voter's Research Hotline, the vote will be added

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.


results per page:
Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
Dec. 18, 2007 National HR 2764 Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17)
Sept. 19, 2007 National S Amdt 2022 Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43)
Aug. 3, 2007 National S 1927 Foreign Intelligence Acquisition Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28)
July 26, 2007 National S Amdt 2405 REAL ID Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44)
July 26, 2007 National S Amdt 2480 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1)
July 26, 2007 National HR 1 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Conference Report Adopted - Senate (85 - 8)
July 26, 2007 National HR 2638 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 4)
July 19, 2007 National S Amdt 2351 Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees Amendment Adopted - Senate (94 - 3)
March 13, 2007 National S 4 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 38)
Date No. Title Outcome
12/18 HR 2764 Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (76 - 17)
9/19 S Amdt 2022 Habeas Corpus for Detainees of the United States Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (56 - 43)
8/03 S 1927 Foreign Intelligence Acquisition Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 28)
7/26 S Amdt 2405 REAL ID Funding Amendment Tabled - Senate (50 - 44)
7/26 S Amdt 2480 Border Fence and Customs Appropriations Amendment Adopted - Senate (89 - 1)
7/26 HR 1 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Conference Report Adopted - Senate (85 - 8)
7/26 HR 2638 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Passed - Senate (89 - 4)
7/19 S Amdt 2351 Sense of the Senate on Guantanamo Bay Detainees Amendment Adopted - Senate (94 - 3)
3/13 S 4 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act Bill Passed - Senate (60 - 38)

arrow_upward