Why it Matters

Rep. Darren Soto floor votes over a two-week stretch in May 2026 show a Florida Democrat who largely stayed in line with his party while breaking ranks on a handful of high-profile measures related to crime and law enforcement. The nine-year House veteran from Florida's 9th Congressional District cast 24 recorded votes between May 14 and May 21, missing none of them — a perfect attendance stretch that reflects his broader congressional voting attendance record of missing fewer than 1 percent of votes during his tenure.

Soto voted with the majority of his Democratic colleagues on most measures but crossed party lines three times, including on two crime-related bills and a veterans benefits expansion measure. The pattern of House floor votes summary data from this period suggests a member willing to occasionally diverge from party orthodoxy on public safety issues while remaining reliably aligned with Democrats on procedural and regulatory matters.

Darren Soto Floor Votes on Crime and Law Enforcement

The most notable departures from party-line voting in this stretch came on two crime bills that passed the House on May 14.

Soto voted yes on final passage of the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act (H.R. 6260), a measure that passed the House but faced opposition from most Democrats. The bill, categorized under crime and law enforcement, drew a party-bucking vote from Soto — meaning the available data indicates he voted opposite to the majority of his Democratic colleagues on final passage.

On the same evening, Soto also voted yes on the Cashless Bail Reporting Act (H.R. 5625), another crime and law enforcement measure that passed the House. That vote was also flagged as a party-bucking instance, placing Soto among a smaller group of Democrats who supported the legislation.

Earlier in the evening on May 14, Soto had voted yes on a motion to recommit the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act — a procedural vote that did not carry a party-bucking designation, suggesting it aligned with what most Democrats were doing at that stage of the debate. That motion failed.

The votes on the two crime bills represent two of the three instances in this period where the Florida congressman's Rep. Darren Soto voting record diverged from the Democratic caucus.

Veterans Issues Produce a Split Record

Veterans-related legislation generated five votes for Soto between May 20 and May 21, and his record on those measures was mixed.

On May 20, Soto voted yes on the Fiscal Year 2025 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act (S. 2393), which passed under a motion to suspend the rules. That vote was not flagged as a party departure.

On May 21, the House took up the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act (H.R. 1041). Soto voted yes on a motion to recommit the bill — a procedural step that failed — and then voted no on final passage, which the bill passed. Neither of those votes was flagged as bucking his party.

The third party-bucking vote of the period came on the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act (H.R. 6047), which passed the House on the evening of May 21. Soto voted yes on that measure, and the vote was flagged as a departure from how most Democrats voted — making it the one veterans-related instance where his Florida congressional votes diverged from the party caucus.

Banking and Finance: Consistent Support Across Multiple Bills

On May 20, the House moved through a series of banking and financial access bills under suspension of the rules, and Soto voted yes on each of them. None of those votes were flagged as party-bucking instances.

The measures included the Keeping Deposits Local Act (H.R. 3234), the American Access to Banking Act (H.R. 4544), and the Community Bank Deposit Access Act (H.R. 5317), all of which passed. Soto also voted yes on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act (H.R. 1993), which passed the same evening.

The cluster of banking votes reflects an area where Soto's Soto party votes aligned with broader bipartisan support, as all four measures passed under the two-thirds threshold required for suspension of the rules.

Education, Culture, and Other Measures

On May 20, the House voted on the PROTECT Kids Act (H.R. 2616), an education-related bill. Soto voted yes on a motion to recommit — which failed — and then voted no on final passage. The bill passed despite his opposition. Neither vote was flagged as a party-bucking instance, suggesting his no vote on final passage was consistent with most Democrats.

The Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act (H.R. 1329) came to the floor on May 21 and produced a similar pattern. Soto voted yes on a motion to recommit — which failed — and then voted no on final passage. The bill also failed on final passage. Again, neither vote was identified as a departure from the Democratic caucus.

Darren Soto Floor Votes on International Affairs and Appropriations

On May 14, Soto voted yes on a concurrent resolution directing the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran under the War Powers Resolution. That measure failed on the House floor. The vote was not flagged as a party-bucking instance.

On May 15, Soto voted no on an amendment related to H.R. 8469, a military construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill for fiscal year 2027. The amendment failed. He then voted yes on final passage of the underlying appropriations bill, which passed. Neither vote was flagged as a departure from his party.

Procedural Votes

Soto cast two votes on H.Res. 1300, a rule providing for consideration of the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, and the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act. On May 20, he voted yes on ordering the previous question — a procedural step that passed. On the same evening, he voted no on agreeing to the resolution itself, which passed over his opposition. Neither vote was flagged as a party-bucking instance.

Attendance

Across the 24 votes recorded in this period, Soto did not miss a single one. His overall congressional voting attendance record shows a missed vote rate of 0.65 percent across his tenure — among the lower figures in the House. The data provided covers votes from May 14 through May 21, 2026.