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
Dec. 13, 2018 National S J Res 54 To Direct the Removal of United States Armed Forces from Hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been Authorized by Congress Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 41)
Dec. 11, 2018 National PN 2117 Nomination of Jonathan A. Kobes to the Eighth Circuit Court (51 - 50)
Dec. 6, 2018 National PN 2170 Nomination of Kathleen Laura Kraninger to be the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (50 - 49)
Nov. 29, 2018 National PN 2117 Nomination of Jonathan A. Kobes to the Eighth Circuit Court Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
Nov. 29, 2018 National PN 2170 Nomination of Kathleen Laura Kraninger to be the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
Oct. 6, 2018 National PN 2259 Nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States (50 - 48)
Oct. 5, 2018 National PN 2259 Nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 49)
Aug. 23, 2018 National S Amdt 3967 Senator Rand Paul's Amendment to H.R. 6157 Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 48)
July 25, 2018 National HR 6199 Restoring Access to Medication and Modernizing Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (277 - 142)
July 19, 2018 National S Res 584 A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate against the making available of current and former diplomats, officials, and members of the Armed Forces of the United States for questioning by the government of Vladimir Putin. Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 0)
July 18, 2018 National PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit (50 - 49)
July 17, 2018 National PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
July 13, 2018 National HR 50 Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2017 Bill Passed - House (230 - 168)
July 11, 2018 National PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General (51 - 48)
July 10, 2018 National PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
June 27, 2018 National HR 6136 Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (121 - 301)
June 21, 2018 National HR 4760 Securing America's Future Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (193 - 231)
May 17, 2018 National PN 1857 Nomination of Gina Haspel to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (54 - 45)
May 17, 2018 National PN 1857 Nomination of Gina Haspel to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 44)
March 20, 2018 National S J Res 54 To Direct the Removal of United States Armed Forces from Hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been Authorized by Congress Bill Tabled - Senate (55 - 44)
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)
Jan. 10, 2018 National S 140 An Act to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 to clarify the use of amounts in the WMAT Settlement Fund Bill Passed - House (239 - 173)
Date No. Title Outcome
12/13 S J Res 54 To Direct the Removal of United States Armed Forces from Hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been Authorized by Congress Bill Passed - Senate (56 - 41)
12/11 PN 2117 Nomination of Jonathan A. Kobes to the Eighth Circuit Court (51 - 50)
12/06 PN 2170 Nomination of Kathleen Laura Kraninger to be the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (50 - 49)
11/29 PN 2117 Nomination of Jonathan A. Kobes to the Eighth Circuit Court Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
11/29 PN 2170 Nomination of Kathleen Laura Kraninger to be the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
10/06 PN 2259 Nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States (50 - 48)
10/05 PN 2259 Nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 49)
8/23 S Amdt 3967 Senator Rand Paul's Amendment to H.R. 6157 Amendment Rejected - Senate (45 - 48)
7/25 HR 6199 Restoring Access to Medication and Modernizing Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 Bill Passed - House (277 - 142)
7/19 S Res 584 A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate against the making available of current and former diplomats, officials, and members of the Armed Forces of the United States for questioning by the government of Vladimir Putin. Bill Passed - Senate (98 - 0)
7/18 PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit (50 - 49)
7/17 PN 1645 Nomination of Andrew S. Oldham to be United States Circuit Judge for the 5th Circuit Cloture Invoked - Senate (50 - 49)
7/13 HR 50 Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2017 Bill Passed - House (230 - 168)
7/11 PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General (51 - 48)
7/10 PN 1402 Nomination of Brian Allen Benczkowski to be Assistant Attorney General Cloture Invoked - Senate (51 - 48)
6/27 HR 6136 Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (121 - 301)
6/21 HR 4760 Securing America's Future Act of 2018 Bill Failed - House (193 - 231)
5/17 PN 1857 Nomination of Gina Haspel to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (54 - 45)
5/17 PN 1857 Nomination of Gina Haspel to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Cloture Invoked - Senate (54 - 44)
3/20 S J Res 54 To Direct the Removal of United States Armed Forces from Hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been Authorized by Congress Bill Tabled - Senate (55 - 44)
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)
1/10 S 140 An Act to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 to clarify the use of amounts in the WMAT Settlement Fund Bill Passed - House (239 - 173)

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