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.


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Date State Bill No. Title Outcome
June 20, 1995 National S Amdt 1437 Motorcycle Helmet Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 53)
June 21, 1995 National S Amdt 1446 Drinking and Driving Minors Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 36)
July 10, 1995 National S Amdt 1491 Small Business Impact Analyses Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 36)
July 11, 1995 National S Amdt 1497 Small Business Impact Analysis Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 45)
Sept. 14, 1995 National S Amdt 2478 Naturalized Citizen Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 61)
Dec. 12, 1995 National S J Res 31 Flag Desecration Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (63 - 36)
Dec. 13, 1995 National S J Res 44 Deployment of US Armed Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (69 - 30)
Date No. Title Outcome
6/20 S Amdt 1437 Motorcycle Helmet Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (44 - 53)
6/21 S Amdt 1446 Drinking and Driving Minors Amendment Amendment Adopted - Senate (64 - 36)
7/10 S Amdt 1491 Small Business Impact Analyses Amendment Adopted - Senate (60 - 36)
7/11 S Amdt 1497 Small Business Impact Analysis Amendment Adopted - Senate (53 - 45)
9/14 S Amdt 2478 Naturalized Citizen Amendment Amendment Rejected - Senate (37 - 61)
12/12 S J Res 31 Flag Desecration Joint Resolution Failed - Senate (63 - 36)
12/13 S J Res 44 Deployment of US Armed Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (69 - 30)

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