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
Sept. 14, 2017 CA SB 179 Recognizes Nonbinary as an Official Legal Gender Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 12)
Sept. 13, 2017 CA SB 179 Recognizes Nonbinary as an Official Legal Gender Bill Passed - House (57 - 21)
May 31, 2017 IL HB 1785 Authorizes Birth Certificate Changes for Transgender People Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 22)
May 25, 2017 IL HB 1785 Authorizes Birth Certificate Changes for Transgender People Bill Passed - House
March 30, 2017 NC HB 142 Establishes Provisions Related to Gender-Based Bathroom Use Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16)
March 15, 2017 NM SB 121 Prohibits Conversion Therapy Bill Passed - House (44 - 23)
March 15, 2017 TX SB 6 Requires Individuals to Use Bathrooms According to Gender on Birth Certificate Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 10)
Jan. 10, 2017 ND SB 2043 Amends Marriage Definition and Terminology Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 31)
Date No. Title Outcome
9/14 SB 179 Recognizes Nonbinary as an Official Legal Gender Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (26 - 12)
9/13 SB 179 Recognizes Nonbinary as an Official Legal Gender Bill Passed - House (57 - 21)
5/31 HB 1785 Authorizes Birth Certificate Changes for Transgender People Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 22)
5/25 HB 1785 Authorizes Birth Certificate Changes for Transgender People Bill Passed - House
3/30 HB 142 Establishes Provisions Related to Gender-Based Bathroom Use Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 16)
3/15 SB 121 Prohibits Conversion Therapy Bill Passed - House (44 - 23)
3/15 SB 6 Requires Individuals to Use Bathrooms According to Gender on Birth Certificate Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 10)
1/10 SB 2043 Amends Marriage Definition and Terminology Bill Failed - Senate (15 - 31)

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