The oldest of CQ Roll Call’s annual studies, Key Votes is a selection of the major votes for both House and Senate for the past year. Editors choose the single vote on each issue that best presents a member’s stance or that determined the year’s legislative outcome. 

For a detailed explanation of the 12 House and 10 Senate key votes, click here.

And for charts on how every lawmaker voted, click below:

House members on key votes in 2019.

Senators on key votes in 2019.

Attributes of a Key Vote

A vote is judged to be key by the extent to which it represents:

• a matter of major controversy
• a matter of presidential or political power
• a matter of potentially great impact on the nation and the lives of Americans

For each group of related votes on an issue in each chamber, one key vote is usually chosen — one that, in the opinion of CQ Roll Call editors, was most important in determining the outcome of the issue for the year or best
reflected the views of individual lawmakers on that issue.