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. 18, 2012 NJ AR 86 Opposes the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Citizens United Versus Federal Elections Commission Resolution Passed - House (49 - 23)
July 17, 2012 National S 3369 DISCLOSE Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45)
March 8, 2012 ME LD 1774 Campaign Finance Amendments Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15)
Feb. 15, 2012 AK HB 311 Amends Requirements for Electronic Campaign Finance Disclosure Conference Report Adopted - House (26 - 5)
Feb. 15, 2012 AK HB 311 Amends Requirements for Electronic Campaign Finance Disclosure Conference Report Adopted - Senate (14 - 2)
Feb. 15, 2012 MI HB 5085 Prohibits public employers from deducting political contributions from employee paychecks Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 43)
Feb. 14, 2012 MI HB 5085 Prohibits public employers from deducting political contributions from employee paychecks Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12)
Jan. 26, 2012 UT HB 50 Repeals the Election Campaign Fund Bill Passed - House (51 - 20)
Date No. Title Outcome
10/18 AR 86 Opposes the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Citizens United Versus Federal Elections Commission Resolution Passed - House (49 - 23)
7/17 S 3369 DISCLOSE Act Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45)
3/08 LD 1774 Campaign Finance Amendments Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 15)
2/15 HB 311 Amends Requirements for Electronic Campaign Finance Disclosure Conference Report Adopted - House (26 - 5)
2/15 HB 311 Amends Requirements for Electronic Campaign Finance Disclosure Conference Report Adopted - Senate (14 - 2)
2/15 HB 5085 Prohibits public employers from deducting political contributions from employee paychecks Concurrence Vote Passed - House (62 - 43)
2/14 HB 5085 Prohibits public employers from deducting political contributions from employee paychecks Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 12)
1/26 HB 50 Repeals the Election Campaign Fund Bill Passed - House (51 - 20)

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