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. 30, 2012 National HR 6429 STEM Jobs Act of 2012 Bill Passed - House (245 - 139)
Sept. 20, 2012 National HR 6429 STEM Jobs Act of 2012 Bill Failed - House (257 - 158)
Aug. 27, 2012 CA SB 1221 Prohibits the Use of Dogs to Hunt Bears or Bobcats Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 13)
Aug. 22, 2012 CA SB 1221 Prohibits the Use of Dogs to Hunt Bears or Bobcats Bill Passed - House (46 - 30)
May 21, 2012 CA SB 1221 Prohibits the Use of Dogs to Hunt Bears or Bobcats Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15)
March 29, 2012 MO HB 1541 Provides Exemptions on Participating in Certain Medical Procedures. Bill Passed - House (113 - 41)
March 26, 2012 TN HB 368 Scientific Theories in the Classroom Concurrence Vote Passed - House (72 - 23)
March 19, 2012 TN HB 368 Scientific Theories in the Classroom Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8)
March 15, 2012 OK HB 1551 Authorizes the Instruction of Various Scientific Theories Bill Passed - House (56 - 12)
Feb. 29, 2012 SD HB 1234 Eliminates Teacher Tenure Concurrence Vote Passed - House (36 - 33)
Feb. 27, 2012 SD HB 1234 Eliminates Teacher Tenure Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12)
Feb. 13, 2012 SD HB 1234 Eliminates Teacher Tenure Bill Passed - House (41 - 28)
Date No. Title Outcome
11/30 HR 6429 STEM Jobs Act of 2012 Bill Passed - House (245 - 139)
9/20 HR 6429 STEM Jobs Act of 2012 Bill Failed - House (257 - 158)
8/27 SB 1221 Prohibits the Use of Dogs to Hunt Bears or Bobcats Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (22 - 13)
8/22 SB 1221 Prohibits the Use of Dogs to Hunt Bears or Bobcats Bill Passed - House (46 - 30)
5/21 SB 1221 Prohibits the Use of Dogs to Hunt Bears or Bobcats Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 15)
3/29 HB 1541 Provides Exemptions on Participating in Certain Medical Procedures. Bill Passed - House (113 - 41)
3/26 HB 368 Scientific Theories in the Classroom Concurrence Vote Passed - House (72 - 23)
3/19 HB 368 Scientific Theories in the Classroom Bill Passed - Senate (25 - 8)
3/15 HB 1551 Authorizes the Instruction of Various Scientific Theories Bill Passed - House (56 - 12)
2/29 HB 1234 Eliminates Teacher Tenure Concurrence Vote Passed - House (36 - 33)
2/27 HB 1234 Eliminates Teacher Tenure Bill Passed - Senate (22 - 12)
2/13 HB 1234 Eliminates Teacher Tenure Bill Passed - House (41 - 28)

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