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:
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.
| Date | State | Bill No. | Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 8, 2026 | National | S 5271 | A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require voters to provide photo identification | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (52 - 46) |
| July 22, 2026 | National | HR 7008 | Stop Insider Trading Act | Bill Passed - House (232 - 198) |
| June 10, 2025 | National | HR 884 | To prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia and to repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022 | Bill Passed - House (266 - 148) |
| April 10, 2025 | National | HR 22 | Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act | Bill Passed - House (220 - 208) |
| Nov. 18, 2024 | National | HR 5658 | Vote by Mail Tracking Act | Bill Passed - House (396 - 6) |
| Sept. 17, 2024 | National | HR 8314 | No Foreign Election Interference Act | Bill Failed - House (218 - 181) |
| July 10, 2024 | National | HR 8281 | Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act | Bill Passed - House (221 - 198) |
| May 23, 2024 | National | HR 192 | To prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia | Bill Passed - House (262 - 143) |
| Dec. 23, 2022 | National | HR 2617 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (225 - 201) |
| Dec. 22, 2022 | National | HR 2617 | Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (68 - 29) |
| Sept. 21, 2022 | National | HR 8873 | Presidential Election Reform Act | Bill Passed - House (229 - 203) |
| Sept. 21, 2022 | National | HR 8873 | Presidential Election Reform Act | Bill Passed - House (229 - 203) |
| Jan. 19, 2022 | National | HR 5746 | Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act | Bill Passed - Senate (52 - 48) |
| Jan. 13, 2022 | National | HR 5746 | Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act | Concurrence Vote Passed - House (220 - 203) |
| Dec. 7, 2021 | National | HR 5314 | Protecting Our Democracy Act | Bill Passed - House (220 - 208) |
| Oct. 20, 2021 | National | S 2747 | Freedom to Vote Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (49 - 51) |
| Aug. 24, 2021 | National | HR 4 | John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 | Bill Passed - House (219 - 212) |
| Aug. 24, 2021 | National | H Res 601 | Providing for consideration of (H.R. 4) John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act; providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to (H.R. 3684) Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; and providing for the adoption of the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 14); and for other purposes | Resolution Passed - House (220 - 212) |
| June 22, 2021 | National | S 2093 | For the People Act of 2021 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (50 - 50) |
| March 3, 2021 | National | HR 1 | For the People Act of 2021 | Bill Passed - House (220 - 210) |
| Sept. 29, 2020 | National | H Res 1155 | Reaffirming the House of Representatives' commitment to the orderly and peaceful transfer of power called for in the Constitution of the United States, and for other purposes | Bill Passed - House (397 - 5) |
| Dec. 6, 2019 | National | HR 4 | Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (228 - 187) |
| Oct. 23, 2019 | National | HR 4617 | Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act | Bill Passed - House (227 - 181) |
| June 27, 2019 | National | HR 2722 | Securing America's Federal Elections (SAFE) Act | Bill Passed - House (225 - 184) |
| March 14, 2019 | National | H Con Res 24 | Expressing the sense of Congress that the report of Special Counsel Mueller should be made available to the public and to Congress. | Bill Passed - House (420 - 0) |
| March 8, 2019 | National | HR 1 | For the People Act of 2019 | Bill Passed - House (234 - 193) |
| Sept. 11, 2014 | National | S J Res 19 | A Joint Resolution Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States Relating to Contributions and Expenditures Intended to Affect Elections | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (54 - 42) |
| Dec. 11, 2013 | National | HR 2019 | Kids First Research Act of 2013 | Bill Passed - House (295 - 103) |
| Sept. 19, 2012 | National | HR 5912 | Prohibits Public Funding for Political Party Conventions | Bill Passed - House (310 - 95) |
| July 17, 2012 | National | S 3369 | DISCLOSE Act | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (53 - 45) |
| Dec. 1, 2011 | National | HR 3463 | Repeals Taxpayer Financing of Presidential Election Campaigns | Bill Passed - House (235 - 190) |
| Jan. 26, 2011 | National | HR 359 | Abolishing Federal Financing of Presidential Election Campaigns | Bill Passed - House (239 - 160) |
| Sept. 23, 2010 | National | S 3628 | Campaign Finance Disclosure Requirements | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (59 - 39) |
| July 27, 2010 | National | S 3628 | Campaign Finance Disclosure Requirements | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 41) |
| June 24, 2010 | National | HR 5175 | Campaign Finance Disclosure Requirements | Bill Passed - House (219 - 206) |
| Sept. 17, 2009 | National | HR 3221 | Prohibiting Federal Assistance to ACORN | Motion Agreed - House (345 - 75) |
| Sept. 17, 2009 | National | HR 3221 | Prohibiting Federal Assistance to ACORN | Bill Passed - House (253 - 171) |
| Sept. 14, 2009 | National | S Amdt 2355 | Prohibiting Funding for ACORN | Amendment Adopted - Senate (83 - 7) |
| Feb. 26, 2009 | National | S 160 | Washington DC Voting Act | Bill Passed - Senate (61 - 37) |
| July 15, 2008 | National | HR 5803 | Backup Paper Ballots | Bill Failed - House (248 - 170) |
| April 15, 2008 | National | HR 5036 | Federal Funding for Voting System Changes | Bill Passed - House (239 - 178) |
| Sept. 18, 2007 | National | S 1257 | District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 | Cloture Not Invoked - Senate (57 - 42) |
| Aug. 2, 2007 | National | S 1 | Lobbying and Donation Regulations | Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (83 - 14) |
| July 31, 2007 | National | S 1 | Lobbying and Donation Regulations | Bill Passed - House (411 - 8) |
| April 19, 2007 | National | HR 1905 | District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007 | Bill Passed - House (241 - 177) |
| Sept. 20, 2006 | National | HR 4844 | Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006 | Bill Passed - House (228 - 196) |
| July 13, 2006 | National | HR 9 | Voting Rights Act Reauthorization | Bill Passed - House (390 - 33) |
| May 3, 2006 | National | HR 4975 | 527 Reform Act of 2006 | Bill Passed - House (217 - 213) |
| April 5, 2006 | National | HR 513 | 527 Reform Act of 2005 | Bill Passed - House (218 - 209) |
| Nov. 2, 2005 | National | HR 1606 | Online Freedom of Speech Act | Bill Failed - House (225 - 182) |