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 23, 2018 RI S 2678 Authorizes Driver's Licenses for DACA Recipients Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 2)
May 10, 2018 CA SB 785 Prohibits Irrelevant Disclosures of Immigration Status in Open Court Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 6)
April 18, 2018 CT SB 4 Authorizes Financial Aid for Undocumented Students Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 5)
April 17, 2018 CO SB 18-220 Prohibits Jurisdictions From Establishing Sanctuary Status Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17)
April 4, 2018 IA SF 481 Requires Law Enforcement for Comply with ICE Detainer Requests Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 18)
March 26, 2018 NJ S 699 Authorizes Financial Aid for Undocumented Students Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 10)
March 21, 2018 NY S 3698 Prohibits Sanctuary Cities Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 29)
March 6, 2018 VA HB 1257 Prohibits the Establishment of Sanctuary Cities Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18)
Feb. 15, 2018 National S Amdt 1955 Uniting and Securing America Act (Coons-McCain Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
Feb. 15, 2018 National S Amdt 1948 Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act (Toomey Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 45)
Feb. 15, 2018 National S Amdt 1958 Immigration Security and Opportunity Act (Schumer Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 45)
Feb. 15, 2018 National S Amdt 1959 Secure and Succeed Act (Grassley Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (39 - 60)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/23 S 2678 Authorizes Driver's Licenses for DACA Recipients Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 2)
5/10 SB 785 Prohibits Irrelevant Disclosures of Immigration Status in Open Court Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (31 - 6)
4/18 SB 4 Authorizes Financial Aid for Undocumented Students Bill Passed - Senate (30 - 5)
4/17 SB 18-220 Prohibits Jurisdictions From Establishing Sanctuary Status Bill Passed - Senate (18 - 17)
4/04 SF 481 Requires Law Enforcement for Comply with ICE Detainer Requests Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (28 - 18)
3/26 S 699 Authorizes Financial Aid for Undocumented Students Bill Passed - Senate (27 - 10)
3/21 S 3698 Prohibits Sanctuary Cities Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 29)
3/06 HB 1257 Prohibits the Establishment of Sanctuary Cities Bill Passed - Senate (21 - 18)
2/15 S Amdt 1955 Uniting and Securing America Act (Coons-McCain Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 47)
2/15 S Amdt 1948 Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act (Toomey Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 45)
2/15 S Amdt 1958 Immigration Security and Opportunity Act (Schumer Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 45)
2/15 S Amdt 1959 Secure and Succeed Act (Grassley Amendment) Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (39 - 60)

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