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
Nov. 13, 1997 National H Res 301 Broadcast of Committee Witness bill Resolution Passed - House (241 - 165)
Sept. 24, 1997 National HR 2209 FY 1998 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - House (309 - 106)
Sept. 18, 1997 National H Res 168 House Ethics Reform Task Force Resolution Passed - House (258 - 154)
July 28, 1997 National HR 2209 FY 1998 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - House (214 - 203)
Feb. 12, 1997 National H J Res 2 Term Limits Resolution Joint Resolution Failed - House (217 - 211)
Jan. 21, 1997 National H Res 31 Ethics Report on Newt Gingrich Resolution Passed - House (395 - 28)
Date No. Title Outcome
11/13 H Res 301 Broadcast of Committee Witness bill Resolution Passed - House (241 - 165)
9/24 HR 2209 FY 1998 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill Conference Report Adopted - House (309 - 106)
9/18 H Res 168 House Ethics Reform Task Force Resolution Passed - House (258 - 154)
7/28 HR 2209 FY 1998 Legislative Branch Appropriations Bill Bill Passed - House (214 - 203)
2/12 H J Res 2 Term Limits Resolution Joint Resolution Failed - House (217 - 211)
1/21 H Res 31 Ethics Report on Newt Gingrich Resolution Passed - House (395 - 28)

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