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
April 16, 2026 National HR 6398 Reducing and Eliminating Duplicative Environmental Regulations (RED Tape) Act Bill Passed - House (222 - 205)
March 27, 2026 National HR 7084 Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2026 Bill Passed - House (247 - 164)
March 25, 2026 National HR 5103 Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2026 Bill Passed - House (218 - 206)
March 24, 2026 ID S 1300 Authorizes the Governor to Appoint the Directors of the Departments of Transportation, Fish and Game, and Parks and Recreation Bill Passed - House (41 - 29)
March 10, 2026 IA HF 2694 Restricts the Powers of the Governor During Emergency Situations Bill Passed - House (67 - 23)
March 5, 2026 National H Con Res 38 Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran Bill Failed - House (212 - 219)
Feb. 12, 2026 SC H 4755 Authorizes the Governor to Appoint All Members of the Judicial Merit Selection Commission Bill Passed - House (71 - 10)
Feb. 11, 2026 National H J Res 72 Relating to a national emergency by the President on February 1, 2025 Bill Passed - House (219 - 211)
Feb. 10, 2026 AL HB 220 Authorizes the Governor and Legislature Leaders to Replace Appointed State Board Members Bill Passed - House (82 - 3)

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