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
May 9, 2017 AZ SB 1384 Prohibits Censorship of Student Media Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 0)
May 8, 2017 AZ SB 1384 Prohibits Censorship of Student Media Bill Passed - House (41 - 19)
May 1, 2017 OR HB 2597 Increases Penalties for Distracted Driving Bill Passed - House (46 - 13)
April 20, 2017 WA SB 5289 Prohibits Cell-Phone Use on Highways Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (39 - 10)
April 11, 2017 WA HB 1493 Regulates Commercial Use of Biometric Data Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 12)
April 7, 2017 WA HB 1595 Establishes Fees for Printed and Digital Copies of Public Records Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 4)
March 28, 2017 National S J Res 34 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and other Telecommunications Services Joint Resolution Passed - House (215 - 205)
March 23, 2017 National S J Res 34 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and other Telecommunications Services Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 48)
March 7, 2017 WA HB 1371 Prohibits Texting While Driving Bill Passed - House (52 - 45)
March 2, 2017 WA HB 1493 Regulates Commercial Use of Biometric Data Bill Passed - House (81 - 17)
Date No. Title Outcome
5/09 SB 1384 Prohibits Censorship of Student Media Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (29 - 0)
5/08 SB 1384 Prohibits Censorship of Student Media Bill Passed - House (41 - 19)
5/01 HB 2597 Increases Penalties for Distracted Driving Bill Passed - House (46 - 13)
4/20 SB 5289 Prohibits Cell-Phone Use on Highways Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (39 - 10)
4/11 HB 1493 Regulates Commercial Use of Biometric Data Bill Passed - Senate (37 - 12)
4/07 HB 1595 Establishes Fees for Printed and Digital Copies of Public Records Bill Passed - Senate (43 - 4)
3/28 S J Res 34 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and other Telecommunications Services Joint Resolution Passed - House (215 - 205)
3/23 S J Res 34 Providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and other Telecommunications Services Joint Resolution Passed - Senate (50 - 48)
3/07 HB 1371 Prohibits Texting While Driving Bill Passed - House (52 - 45)
3/02 HB 1493 Regulates Commercial Use of Biometric Data Bill Passed - House (81 - 17)

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