Key Votes

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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
Oct. 1, 2008 National HR 1424 Financial Asset Purchase Authority and Tax Law Amendments Bill Passed - Senate (74 - 25)
July 26, 2008 National S 3186 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Funding Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 35)
July 16, 2008 National S Amdt 5077 Funding Amendment to AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Bill Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 64)
July 16, 2008 National HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis Bill Passed - Senate (80 - 16)
July 15, 2008 National HR 6331 Medicare Bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (70 - 26)
July 9, 2008 National HR 6331 Medicare Bill Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30)
June 23, 2008 NJ A 2800 2008-2009 Budget Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16)
June 18, 2008 National HR 6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (80 - 14)
May 22, 2008 National HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (82 - 13)
May 22, 2008 National S Amdt 4803 GI Bill and Other Domestic Provisions Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 22)
May 15, 2008 National HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Conference Report Adopted - Senate (81 - 15)
March 14, 2008 National S Con Res 70 Concurrent Budget Resolution Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 44)
March 14, 2008 National S Con Res 70 Concurrent Budget Resolution Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 44)
March 13, 2008 National S Amdt 4347 Earmark Moratorium Motion Rejected - Senate (29 - 71)
Feb. 26, 2008 National S 1200 Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2008 Bill Passed - Senate (83 - 10)
Feb. 7, 2008 National HR 5140 Economic Stimulus Plan Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 16)
Date No. Title Outcome
10/01 HR 1424 Financial Asset Purchase Authority and Tax Law Amendments Bill Passed - Senate (74 - 25)
7/26 S 3186 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Funding Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 35)
7/16 S Amdt 5077 Funding Amendment to AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Bill Amendment Rejected - Senate (31 - 64)
7/16 HR 5501 Funding to Combat AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis Bill Passed - Senate (80 - 16)
7/15 HR 6331 Medicare Bill Veto Override Passed - Senate (70 - 26)
7/09 HR 6331 Medicare Bill Cloture Invoked - Senate (69 - 30)
6/23 A 2800 2008-2009 Budget Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 16)
6/18 HR 6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (80 - 14)
5/22 HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Veto Override Passed - Senate (82 - 13)
5/22 S Amdt 4803 GI Bill and Other Domestic Provisions Amendment Adopted - Senate (75 - 22)
5/15 HR 2419 Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill) Conference Report Adopted - Senate (81 - 15)
3/14 S Con Res 70 Concurrent Budget Resolution Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 44)
3/14 S Con Res 70 Concurrent Budget Resolution Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (51 - 44)
3/13 S Amdt 4347 Earmark Moratorium Motion Rejected - Senate (29 - 71)
2/26 S 1200 Indian Health Care Improvement Act Amendments of 2008 Bill Passed - Senate (83 - 10)
2/07 HR 5140 Economic Stimulus Plan Bill Passed - Senate (81 - 16)

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