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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
May 24, 2019 | AZ | SB 1451 | Amends Ballot Initiative Requirements | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (16 - 10) |
Feb. 14, 2019 | AZ | SB 1072 | Requires Identification for Early Voting | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 13) |
Sept. 10, 2019 | CA | AB 681 | Requires Voter Party Affiliation Notification Prior To Primary Elections | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 11) |
May 2, 2019 | CA | SB 27 | Requires Presidential Candidates to Release Tax Returns | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 10) |
May 2, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1318 | Amends Campaign Finance Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
April 29, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1278 | Authorizes Primary Voting for 17 Year Olds and Increases Rural Voter Services | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
April 26, 2019 | CO | HB 19-1266 | Authorizes Voting Rights to Paroled Felons | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 12) |
April 24, 2019 | CO | SB 19-235 | Expands Automatic Voter Registration System | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 16) |
Jan. 29, 2019 | CO | SB 19-042 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 16) |
July 1, 2019 | DE | HB 73 | Amends the Delaware Constitution to Authorize the General Assembly to Pass Laws On Absentee Voting | Bill Failed - Senate (11 - 8) |
April 11, 2019 | DE | HB 38 | Amends Early Voting Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 5) |
March 7, 2019 | DE | SB 22 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 7) |
May 3, 2019 | FL | HB 5 | Increases Ballot Initiative Signature Collection Requirements | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
May 2, 2019 | FL | SB 7066 | Requires Felons Pay Outstanding Court Fees Prior to Voting Rights Restoration | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 17) |
March 5, 2019 | HI | SB 216 | Requires Ballot Recount | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 0) |
April 17, 2019 | IA | HF 692 | Requires Bar Codes on Absentee Ballots to Determine Time of Mailing | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 18) |
March 26, 2019 | ID | H 270 | Authorizes Public Schools as Election Polling Sites | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12) |
April 3, 2019 | ID | H 296 | Amends Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 15) |
March 22, 2019 | ID | S 1159 | Increases Threshold for Ballot Initiative Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17) |
May 23, 2019 | IL | HB 2625 | Requires Subcircuit Judicial Boundary Lines be Redrawn | Bill Passed - Senate (38 - 19) |
April 11, 2019 | IL | SB 145 | Requires Presidential Candidates to Release Tax Returns | Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 19) |
April 10, 2019 | IL | SB 1970 | Authorizes Student Absences for Voting | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 10) |
April 10, 2019 | IL | SB 2090 | Expands Access to Voting in Jails | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 17) |
May 9, 2019 | ME | LD 431 | Establishes Election Day as a State Holiday | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - Senate (19 - 15) |
June 10, 2019 | ME | LD 1463 | Establishes Automatic Voter Registration | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 14) |
June 18, 2019 | ME | LD 1083 | Increases the Use of Ranked Choice Voting | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - Senate (20 - 14) |
June 3, 2019 | ME | LD 1626 | Establishes a Presidential Primary System in Maine | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (19 - 13) |
May 14, 2019 | ME | LD 816 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 16) |
March 12, 2019 | NC | SB 214 | Exempts Upcoming 2019 Election from Photo ID Requirements | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 21) |
April 10, 2019 | NC | SB 250 | Amends Voting Rolls to Correlate with Jury Selection Excusals | Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 19) |
April 26, 2019 | ND | SB 2148 | Establishes the Creation of an Ethics Commission | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (42 - 5) |
April 17, 2019 | ND | HB 1521 | Amends State Ethic Laws for Campaign Lobbying | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 8) |
April 17, 2019 | ND | HB 1521 | Amends State Ethic Laws for Campaign Lobbying | Bill Passed - Senate (39 - 8) |
June 27, 2019 | NH | HB 315 | Repeals Participation in Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (14 - 10) |
May 30, 2019 | NH | HB 651 | Authorizes the Use of Campaign Funds for Child Care Expenses | "Ought to Pass as Amended" Report Adopted - Senate (15 - 9) |
May 30, 2019 | NH | HB 611 | Increases Access to Absentee Voting | "Ought to Pass" Report Adopted - Senate (13 - 11) |
May 30, 2019 | NH | HB 105 | Repeals State Photo Identification Voter ID Laws | Bill Passed - Senate (14 - 10) |
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) |
Aug. 26, 2019 | NJ | S 4069 | Amends Absentee Ballot Regulations | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 10) |
Feb. 21, 2019 | NJ | S 119 | Requires Certain Candidates To Disclose Income Tax Returns | Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 11) |
March 12, 2019 | NM | HB 55 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 16) |
May 21, 2019 | NV | AB 186 | Authorizes Nevada to Join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact | Bill Passed - Senate (12 - 8) |
April 23, 2019 | NV | SB 450 | Amends Provisions Relating to Recall Elections | Bill Passed - Senate (16 - 5) |
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 | A 776 | Limits Campaign Contributions by Closing LLC Loophole | Bill Passed - Senate (55 - 6) |
Jan. 15, 2019 | NY | A 774 | Authorizes Voter Pre-Registration | Bill Passed - Senate (47 - 14) |
Jan. 14, 2019 | NY | S 1102 | Establishes Early Voting Period | Bill Passed - Senate (48 - 13) |
May 21, 2019 | NY | S 4347 | Limits Corporate Influence and Participation in Political Campaigns | Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 18) |
May 21, 2019 | NY | S 4347 | Limits Corporate Influence and Participation in Political Campaigns | Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 18) |
June 13, 2019 | NY | S 3822 | Authorizes Certain Individuals to Vote in Primary at 17 | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 22) |
June 19, 2019 | NY | S 6532 | Extends Voter Registration Cutoff | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 22) |
June 30, 2019 | OR | HB 2983 | Requires Disclosure of Organizations Giving Certain Monetary Donations to Campaigns | Bill Passed - Senate (20 - 7) |
June 29, 2019 | OR | SJR 18 | Establishes a Constitutional Amendment Referral for Allowing Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Limits | Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 5) |
June 29, 2019 | OR | SB 861 | Requires State to Pay for Ballot Return Envelopes | Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 9) |
April 9, 2019 | OR | SB 870 | Authorizes Interstate Agreement to Elect the President by Popular Vote | Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12) |
June 27, 2019 | PA | SB 48 | Amends State Election Laws Regarding Straight Party Voting | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 19) |
Oct. 29, 2019 | PA | SB 421 | Establishes Mail-In Voting | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (35 - 14) |
March 4, 2019 | SD | HB 1094 | Increases Transparency in the Petition Circulation Process | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 13) |
April 25, 2019 | TN | HB 1079 | Increases Penalties for Voter Registration Errors | Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 6) |
May 20, 2019 | TX | HB 2911 | Amends Election Law to Determine Voter Eligibility | Bill Passed - Senate (19 - 12) |
March 12, 2019 | WA | SB 5078 | Requires Presidential and VP Candidates Release 5 Years of Tax Returns | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 21) |
Jan. 30, 2019 | WA | SB 5273 | Amends Presidential Primary Dates | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 18) |
March 9, 2019 | WV | SB 622 | Increases Election and Campaign Contribution Limits | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (19 - 15) |