Key Votes
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About the Selection and Descriptions of Key Votes
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:
- The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue
- The vote should be clear for any person to understand
- The vote has received media attention
- The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin
- 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.
| Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 5, 2020 | WA | HB 2638 | Authorizes Sports Betting | Bill Passed - Senate (34 - 15) |
| Feb. 13, 2020 | WA | HB 2638 | Authorizes Sports Betting | Bill Passed - House (83 - 14) |
| March 3, 2020 | SD | SJR 501 | Amends Constitution by Authorizing Wagering on Sporting Events | Bill Passed - House (36 - 27) |
| Feb. 11, 2020 | SD | SJR 501 | Amends Constitution by Authorizing Wagering on Sporting Events | Bill Passed - Senate (24 - 10) |
| April 22, 2020 | VA | SB 971 | Establishes the COVID-19 Relief Fund and Amends Gambling Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (76 - 16) |
| April 22, 2020 | VA | SB 971 | Establishes the COVID-19 Relief Fund and Amends Gambling Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 8) |
| April 22, 2020 | VA | SB 384 | Amends Sports Betting Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (61 - 29) |
| April 22, 2020 | VA | SB 384 | Amends Sports Betting Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 13) |
| May 13, 2020 | LA | SB 130 | Authorizes a Ballot Referendum Vote on Legalizing Sports Betting | Bill Passed - Senate (29 - 8) |
| May 23, 2020 | IL | SB 516 | Amends Tax Structure for Chicago Casino | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (42 - 14) |
| May 23, 2020 | IL | SB 516 | Amends Tax Structure for Chicago Casino | Bill Passed - House (77 - 32) |
| May 28, 2020 | OH | HB 194 | Authorizes Sports Gambling in the State | Bill Passed - House (83 - 10) |
| June 17, 2020 | LA | HB 64 | Establishes 8 Percent Taxation Rate for Fantasy Sports | Bill Passed - House (82 - 11) |
| May 31, 2020 | LA | HB 357 | Establishes Regulations for Fantasy Sports Gambling | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (76 - 20) |
| July 16, 2020 | RI | S 2919 | Authorizes Online Registration for Sports Betting | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 4) |
| March 18, 2020 | MD | SB 4 | Establishes Referendum to Authorize Sports and Event Wagering | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (45 - 0) |
| Oct. 21, 2020 | LA | SB 77 | Establishes Regulations for Fantasy Sports Gambling | Bill Passed - House (72 - 15) |