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
July 31, 2012 MA S 2400 Establishes Accountable Care Organizations Conference Report Adopted - House (133 - 20)
July 19, 2012 MA H 3818 Requires Habitual Violent Offenders to Serve Their Full Sentence Conference Report Adopted - Senate (31 - 7)
July 18, 2012 MA H 3818 Requires Habitual Violent Offenders to Serve Their Full Sentence Conference Report Adopted - House (139 - 14)
June 27, 2012 MA H 4174 Authorizes Funds for State Transportation Projects Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 9)
June 27, 2012 MA S 2214 Amends Renewable Energy Contract Requirements Bill Passed - House (135 - 16)
June 5, 2012 MA S 2270 Reduces Health Care Spending Bill Passed - House (148 - 7)
May 31, 2012 MA H Amdt 11 Requires Photo Identification to Vote Amendment Adopted - House (105 - 43)
May 30, 2012 MA H 3986 Authorizes Child Care Workers to Form Labor Organizations Bill Passed - House (117 - 32)
May 15, 2012 MA S Amdt 125 Requires Establishing a Single Payer Health Care System Benchmark Amendment Rejected - Senate (15 - 22)
April 25, 2012 MA H Amdt 804.1 Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards Amendment Adopted - House (123 - 33)
Date No. Title Outcome
7/31 S 2400 Establishes Accountable Care Organizations Conference Report Adopted - House (133 - 20)
7/19 H 3818 Requires Habitual Violent Offenders to Serve Their Full Sentence Conference Report Adopted - Senate (31 - 7)
7/18 H 3818 Requires Habitual Violent Offenders to Serve Their Full Sentence Conference Report Adopted - House (139 - 14)
6/27 H 4174 Authorizes Funds for State Transportation Projects Concurrence Vote Passed - Senate (27 - 9)
6/27 S 2214 Amends Renewable Energy Contract Requirements Bill Passed - House (135 - 16)
6/05 S 2270 Reduces Health Care Spending Bill Passed - House (148 - 7)
5/31 H Amdt 11 Requires Photo Identification to Vote Amendment Adopted - House (105 - 43)
5/30 H 3986 Authorizes Child Care Workers to Form Labor Organizations Bill Passed - House (117 - 32)
5/15 S Amdt 125 Requires Establishing a Single Payer Health Care System Benchmark Amendment Rejected - Senate (15 - 22)
4/25 H Amdt 804.1 Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards Amendment Adopted - House (123 - 33)

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