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 13, 2026 National H Res 1251 Calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish-American community Resolution Passed - House (419 - 0)
April 27, 2026 National HR 227 Clergy Act Bill Passed - House (350 - 5)
April 2, 2026 MO HB 2760 Restricts Closures of Religious Services During a State of Emergency Bill Passed - House (104 - 38)
March 10, 2026 IA HF 2694 Restricts the Powers of the Governor During Emergency Situations Bill Passed - House (67 - 23)
March 9, 2026 TN HB 1446 Requires the West Bank to be Referred to as Judea and Samaria in Official State Documents Bill Passed - House (68 - 21)
Feb. 24, 2026 AL HB 363 Prohibits Interruptions of a Worship Service Bill Passed - House (74 - 28)
Feb. 12, 2026 TN HB 47 Authorizes the Ten Commandments and Certain Historical Documents to be Displayed in Schools Bill Passed - House (75 - 17)
Feb. 11, 2026 NY S 9155 Restricts the Location of Retail Adult-Use Dispensaries Based on Proximity to Schools and Churches Bill Passed - House (91 - 50)

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