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
July 29, 2015 NC HB 774 Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 34)
July 27, 2015 NC HB 774 Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 16)
May 27, 2015 NE LB 268 Repeals the Death Penalty Veto Override Passed - Senate (30 - 19)
April 29, 2015 NC HB 774 Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions Bill Passed - House (84 - 33)
April 2, 2015 DE SB 40 Repeals the Death Penalty Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 9)
March 11, 2015 AL HB 18 Authorizes Execution by Electrocution Bill Passed - House (76 - 26)
March 10, 2015 UT HB 11 Authorizes Execution by Firing Squad Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 10)
Feb. 13, 2015 UT HB 11 Authorizes Execution by Firing Squad Bill Passed - House (39 - 34)
Feb. 12, 2015 WY SF 13 Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (14 - 12)
Feb. 12, 2015 WY SF 13 Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution Bill Passed - House (32 - 28)
Feb. 10, 2015 VA SB 1393 Authorizes Changes to Lethal Injection Drug Regulations Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14)
Jan. 16, 2015 WY SF 13 Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12)
Date No. Title Outcome
7/29 HB 774 Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions Concurrence Vote Passed - House (74 - 34)
7/27 HB 774 Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 16)
5/27 LB 268 Repeals the Death Penalty Veto Override Passed - Senate (30 - 19)
4/29 HB 774 Authorizes Certain Medical Professionals to Monitor Executions Bill Passed - House (84 - 33)
4/02 SB 40 Repeals the Death Penalty Bill Passed - Senate (11 - 9)
3/11 HB 18 Authorizes Execution by Electrocution Bill Passed - House (76 - 26)
3/10 HB 11 Authorizes Execution by Firing Squad Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 10)
2/13 HB 11 Authorizes Execution by Firing Squad Bill Passed - House (39 - 34)
2/12 SF 13 Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution Concurrence Vote Failed - Senate (14 - 12)
2/12 SF 13 Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution Bill Passed - House (32 - 28)
2/10 SB 1393 Authorizes Changes to Lethal Injection Drug Regulations Bill Passed - Senate (23 - 14)
1/16 SF 13 Authorizes Firing Squads as an Alternative Method of Execution Bill Passed - Senate (17 - 12)

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