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:
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 28, 2006 | SC | Amdt 2B | Amendment Outlining Sentencing Guidelines for Those Convicted of Sexual Battery of Children | Amendment Adopted - Senate (34 - 4) |
May 25, 2006 | SC | Amdt 3 to S 1084 | Inclusion of Unborn Child/Fetus in Definition for Civil Suits Amendment | Amendment Tabled - House (65 - 31) |
May 7, 2008 | SC | Amendment No. 8A | Requiring Employers to Verify Immigration the Status of Their Employees | Amendment Adopted - House (80 - 33) |
May 11, 2011 | SC | H 3003 | Voter ID | Conference Report Adopted - Senate (26 - 16) |
April 26, 2011 | SC | H 3003 | Voter ID | Conference Report Adopted - House (71 - 36) |
Feb. 10, 2011 | SC | H 3003 | Voter ID | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 17) |
Jan. 26, 2011 | SC | H 3003 | Voter ID | Bill Passed - House (74 - 45) |
March 8, 2023 | SC | H 3014 | Authorizes Additional Penalties for Perpetrators of Hate Crimes | Bill Passed - House (84 - 31) |
March 8, 2023 | SC | H 3014 | Authorizes Additional Penalties for Perpetrators of Hate Crimes | Bill Passed - House (84 - 31) |
May 12, 2022 | SC | H 3050 | Specifies Actions That Constitute Unlawful Use of Force by Police | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (103 - 4) |
May 6, 2021 | SC | H 3094 | Authorizes Individuals with Concealed Carry Permits to Open Carry Firearms | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 16) |
March 18, 2021 | SC | H 3094 | Authorizes Individuals with Concealed Carry Permits to Open Carry Firearms | Bill Passed - House (73 - 26) |
April 7, 2021 | SC | H 3096 | Authorizes the Permitless Carry of Firearms | Bill Passed - House (69 - 47) |
Jan. 15, 2014 | SC | H 3147 | Expands Workers' Compensation for Certain Injuries to Law Enforcement Officers | Bill Passed - House (69 - 45) |
May 12, 2020 | SC | H 3411 | Establishes Allocations of Federal COVID-19 Appropriations to the State | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (33 - 8) |
March 3, 2009 | SC | H 3418 | Requiring Photo Identification to Vote | Bill Passed - House (67 - 44) |
Jan. 28, 2016 | SC | H 3521 | Prohibits Courts From Enforcing Foreign Law | Bill Passed - House (68 - 42) |
Feb. 1, 2024 | SC | H 3594 | Authorizes Permitless Carriage of Firearms by Eligible Adults | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 15) |
Feb. 1, 2024 | SC | H 3594 | Authorizes Permitless Carriage of Firearms by Eligible Adults | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 15) |
Feb. 23, 2023 | SC | H 3594 | Authorizes Permitless Carriage of Firearms by Eligible Adults | Bill Passed - House (87 - 26) |
Feb. 23, 2023 | SC | H 3594 | Authorizes Permitless Carriage of Firearms by Eligible Adults | Bill Passed - House (87 - 26) |
April 8, 2021 | SC | H 3620 | Increases Penalties for Hate Crimes | Bill Passed - House (71 - 28) |
April 28, 2021 | SC | H 3623 | Repeals Mandatory Minimum Sentences for Drug Crimes | Bill Passed - House (62 - 45) |
March 10, 2017 | SC | H 3643 | Requires Public Universities to Adopt Antisemitism Policy | Bill Passed - House (103 - 3) |
April 5, 2017 | SC | H 3930 | Amends Handgun Carry Rules | Bill Passed - House (64 - 46) |
April 5, 2017 | SC | H 3930 | Amends Handgun Carry Rules | Bill Passed - House (64 - 46) |
March 4, 2020 | SC | H 3967 | Establishes Requirements for the Treatment of Female Inmates | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 0) |
March 17, 2020 | SC | H 4014 | Appropriates Funds for the COVID-19 Public Health Response | Bill Passed - Senate (42 - 0) |
May 29, 2008 | SC | H 4400 | Immigration Bill | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (94 - 16) |
Jan. 31, 2008 | SC | H 4400 | Immigration Bill | Bill Passed - House (80 - 13) |
March 3, 2016 | SC | H 4701 | Prohibits Enforcement of Federal Restrictions on Firearms | Bill Passed - House (64 - 30) |
May 25, 2006 | SC | S 1084 | Penalties For Harming An Unborn Child/Fetus | Bill Passed - House (81 - 18) |
May 9, 2018 | SC | S 109 | Prohibits Flying Drones Over Military Installations | Bill Passed - House (88 - 1) |
May 4, 2023 | SC | S 120 | Authorizes the State to Buy Lethal Injection Drugs Without Disclosing Manufacturer Company | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (32 - 6) |
April 20, 2023 | SC | S 120 | Authorizes the State to Buy Lethal Injection Drugs Without Disclosing Manufacturer Company | Bill Passed - House (80 - 22) |
May 31, 2006 | SC | S 1267 | Death Penalty for Repeat Sex Offenders | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (84 - 27) |
Feb. 25, 2021 | SC | S 147 | Establishes COVID-19 Liability Protections for Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 3) |
Feb. 25, 2021 | SC | S 147 | Establishes COVID-19 Liability Protections for Businesses | Bill Passed - Senate (40 - 3) |
Feb. 22, 2023 | SC | S 153 | Classifies the Trafficking of Fentanyl as a Felony | Bill Passed - Senate (45 - 0) |
Feb. 22, 2023 | SC | S 153 | Classifies the Trafficking of Fentanyl as a Felony | Bill Passed - Senate (45 - 0) |
Jan. 29, 2019 | SC | S 176 | Authorizes Death Penalty by Firing Squad | Bill Passed - Senate (26 - 13) |
April 8, 2021 | SC | S 177 | Prohibits Business from Firing Employees if they Don't Get Vaccinated | Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 7) |
Feb. 24, 2010 | SC | S 191 | Authorizing Warrantless Searches and Seizures of Probationers and Parolees | Motion Agreed - House (81 - 26) |
Feb. 24, 2010 | SC | S 191 | Authorizing Warrantless Searches and Seizures of Probationers and Parolees | Motion Agreed - House (81 - 26) |
May 5, 2021 | SC | S 200 | Establishes the Firing Squad as an Alternative Method of Execution | Bill Passed - House (66 - 43) |
March 2, 2021 | SC | S 200 | Establishes the Electric Chair as the Default Method of Execution | Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 11) |
May 25, 2006 | SC | S 229 | Cockfighting And Hog Dog Fighting | Bill Passed - House (78 - 15) |
Oct. 21, 2008 | SC | S 429 | DNA Sampling Upon Felony Arrest | Veto Override Passed - House (86 - 25) |
Oct. 21, 2008 | SC | S 429 | DNA Sampling Upon Felony Arrest | Veto Override Passed - House (86 - 25) |
March 9, 2021 | SC | S 571 | Expands Availability of Naloxone (Narcan) Prescriptions to Patients Under Certain Circumstances | Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 0) |
March 23, 2023 | SC | S 576 | Prohibits Citizens of "Foreign Adversary" Nations from Buying Property in the State | Bill Passed - Senate (31 - 5) |
May 10, 2022 | SC | S 614 | Establishes an "Unorganized Militia" for Any Individual Over the Age of 17 | Bill Passed - Senate (28 - 15) |
June 7, 2023 | SC | S 96 | Prohibits a Person from Operating Certain Watercraft Without Possessing a Boating Safety Certificate | Conference Report Adopted - House (97 - 7) |
March 28, 2012 | SC | SB 1227 | Prohibits Camping on State House Grounds | Bill Passed - House (85 - 22) |
Jan. 23, 2014 | SC | SB 308 | Authorizes Carrying Concealed Weapons into Businesses that Serve Alcohol | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (90 - 18) |