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
June 28, 1993 National H Amdt 151 Selective Service Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (202 - 207)
Sept. 29, 1993 National H Amdt 318 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (295 - 133)
Sept. 29, 1993 National HR 2401 Fiscal Year 1994 Defense Authorization Bill Bill Passed - House (268 - 162)
Nov. 10, 1993 National HR 3116 Defense Fiscal Year 1994 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - Senate (88 - 9)
Sept. 30, 1993 National HR 3116 Defense Fiscal Year 1994 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - House (325 - 102)
Feb. 4, 1993 National H Res 71 Agreeing to Family and Medical Leave Bill Resolution Passed - House (247 - 152)
Oct. 15, 1993 National S Amdt 1043 Ending Military Operations in Somalia Amendment Tabled - Senate (61 - 38)
Oct. 21, 1993 National S Amdt 1072 Restriction of Funding for Haiti Operations Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (19 - 81)
Feb. 4, 1993 National S Amdt 19 Homosexual Discrimination in the Military Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (62 - 37)
Sept. 9, 1993 National S Amdt 783 Homosexuals in the Military Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (33 - 63)
Sept. 9, 1993 National S Amdt 790 U.S. Policy Towards Somalia Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (90 - 7)
Date No. Title Outcome
6/28 H Amdt 151 Selective Service Amendment Amendment Rejected - House (202 - 207)
9/29 H Amdt 318 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Amendment Amendment Adopted - House (295 - 133)
9/29 HR 2401 Fiscal Year 1994 Defense Authorization Bill Bill Passed - House (268 - 162)
11/10 HR 3116 Defense Fiscal Year 1994 Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - Senate (88 - 9)
9/30 HR 3116 Defense Fiscal Year 1994 Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - House (325 - 102)
2/04 H Res 71 Agreeing to Family and Medical Leave Bill Resolution Passed - House (247 - 152)
10/15 S Amdt 1043 Ending Military Operations in Somalia Amendment Tabled - Senate (61 - 38)
10/21 S Amdt 1072 Restriction of Funding for Haiti Operations Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (19 - 81)
2/04 S Amdt 19 Homosexual Discrimination in the Military Amendment Amendment Tabled - Senate (62 - 37)
9/09 S Amdt 783 Homosexuals in the Military Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (33 - 63)
9/09 S Amdt 790 U.S. Policy Towards Somalia Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (90 - 7)

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