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
Jan. 13, 2010 SC H 4219 Censuring Governor Mark Sanford Resolution Passed - House (102 - 11)
Feb. 10, 2010 SC H 3272 Property Tax Law Amendments Bill Failed - Senate (28 - 13)
Feb. 24, 2010 SC S 191 Authorizing Warrantless Searches and Seizures of Probationers and Parolees Motion Agreed - House (81 - 26)
April 14, 2010 SC H 3584 Cigarette Tax Increase Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 12)
May 13, 2010 SC H 3584 Cigarette Tax Increase Veto Override Passed - Senate (33 - 13)
May 12, 2010 SC H 3584 Cigarette Tax Increase Veto Override Passed - House (90 - 29)
June 3, 2010 SC H 4657 2010-2011 Budget Conference Report Adopted - House (64 - 54)
March 10, 2010 SC H 3305 Requiring Secret Ballot Elections Concurrence Vote Passed - House (106 - 12)
March 10, 2010 SC H 3305 Requiring Secret Ballot Elections Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 9)
June 3, 2010 SC H 4657 2010-2011 Budget Conference Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 16)
Date No. Title Outcome
1/13 H 4219 Censuring Governor Mark Sanford Resolution Passed - House (102 - 11)
2/10 H 3272 Property Tax Law Amendments Bill Failed - Senate (28 - 13)
2/24 S 191 Authorizing Warrantless Searches and Seizures of Probationers and Parolees Motion Agreed - House (81 - 26)
4/14 H 3584 Cigarette Tax Increase Bill Passed - Senate (32 - 12)
5/13 H 3584 Cigarette Tax Increase Veto Override Passed - Senate (33 - 13)
5/12 H 3584 Cigarette Tax Increase Veto Override Passed - House (90 - 29)
6/03 H 4657 2010-2011 Budget Conference Report Adopted - House (64 - 54)
3/10 H 3305 Requiring Secret Ballot Elections Concurrence Vote Passed - House (106 - 12)
3/10 H 3305 Requiring Secret Ballot Elections Bill Passed - Senate (33 - 9)
6/03 H 4657 2010-2011 Budget Conference Report Adopted - Senate (22 - 16)

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