Of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, only ten have missed more votes this session than Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, according to the Washington Post’s tally. Bachmann has missed 105 votes, or 13.6 percent of all votes. Fellow Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen had the state’s best record, missing only six votes in the 111th Congress, just one less than Rep. Tim Walz missed.
While California Democrat Rep. Hilda Solis had the highest rate of missed votes – she missed 59 of 78 possibles votes – the number of missed votes by party is roughly the same: Democrats missed 3.5 percent of votes, while Republicans missed 3.3 percent.
Another Minnesotan high on the list: At number 23, Rep. Keith Ellison missed ten percent of the votes, casting 695 and missing 78. Here’s how others in Minnesota’s delegation fared:
Rep. Betty McCollum: 16 missed (2.1 percent of all votes), 757 cast
Rep. Collin Peterson: 25 missed (1.9), 758 cast
Rep. Jon Kline: 12 missed (1.6), 761 cast
Rep. James Oberstar: 10 missed (1.3), 763 cast
Rep. Tim Walz: 7 missed (1.3), 766 cast
Rep. Erik Paulsen: 6 missed (0.8), 767 cast
As we reported in July, Bachmann and Ellison’s voting records were affected by personal obligations. Both missed time during the week of June 18, which had a record number of votes: Bachmann was spending time with family after a relative’s death, and Ellison was attending his son’s graduation from his Americorps program.
Via Dusty Trice.
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