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
May 6, 2009 CO HB 1274 Repeals Death Penalty Conference Report Rejected - Senate (17 - 18)
April 21, 2009 CO HB 1274 Repeals Death Penalty Bill Passed - House (33 - 32)
March 13, 2009 NM HB 285 Abolishing the Death Penalty Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 18)
Feb. 11, 2009 NM HB 285 Abolishing The Death Penalty Bill Passed - House (40 - 28)
April 29, 2009 NH HB 556 Abolishing the Death Penalty Bill Tabled - Senate (13 - 11)
March 25, 2009 NH HB 556 Abolishing the Death Penalty Bill Passed - House (193 - 174)
May 13, 2009 CT HB 6578 Death Penalty Replacement Bill Passed - House (90 - 56)
May 28, 2009 NE LB 36 Requiring Lethal Injection Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 12)
Feb. 17, 2009 MT SB 236 Abolition of Death Penalty Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 23)
March 26, 2009 MD SB 279 Capital Punishment Restrictions Bill Passed - House (87 - 52)
March 5, 2009 MD SB 279 Capital Punishment Restrictions Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 13)
Aug. 5, 2009 NC SB 461 Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 18)
July 15, 2009 NC SB 461 Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences Bill Passed - House (61 - 54)
May 14, 2009 NC SB 461 Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 10)
Feb. 25, 2009 VA SB 961 Expanding Death Penalty Eligibility to Accomplices Bill Passed - House (74 - 26)
Jan. 27, 2009 VA SB 961 Expanding Death Penalty Eligibility to Accomplices Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16)
March 12, 2009 UT SJR 14 Legislative Regulation of Death Row Appeals Joint Resolution Failed - House (38 - 35)
March 2, 2009 UT SJR 14 Legislative Regulation of Death Row Appeals Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (23 - 6)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/06 HB 1274 Repeals Death Penalty Conference Report Rejected - Senate (17 - 18)
4/21 HB 1274 Repeals Death Penalty Bill Passed - House (33 - 32)
3/13 HB 285 Abolishing the Death Penalty Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 18)
2/11 HB 285 Abolishing The Death Penalty Bill Passed - House (40 - 28)
4/29 HB 556 Abolishing the Death Penalty Bill Tabled - Senate (13 - 11)
3/25 HB 556 Abolishing the Death Penalty Bill Passed - House (193 - 174)
5/13 HB 6578 Death Penalty Replacement Bill Passed - House (90 - 56)
5/28 LB 36 Requiring Lethal Injection Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 12)
2/17 SB 236 Abolition of Death Penalty Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 23)
3/26 SB 279 Capital Punishment Restrictions Bill Passed - House (87 - 52)
3/05 SB 279 Capital Punishment Restrictions Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 13)
8/05 SB 461 Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (25 - 18)
7/15 SB 461 Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences Bill Passed - House (61 - 54)
5/14 SB 461 Racial Discrimination in Capital Sentences Bill Passed - Senate (36 - 10)
2/25 SB 961 Expanding Death Penalty Eligibility to Accomplices Bill Passed - House (74 - 26)
1/27 SB 961 Expanding Death Penalty Eligibility to Accomplices Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 16)
3/12 SJR 14 Legislative Regulation of Death Row Appeals Joint Resolution Failed - House (38 - 35)
3/02 SJR 14 Legislative Regulation of Death Row Appeals Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (23 - 6)

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