SnohomishTimes.com

Annual Missed Votes Report

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

WashingtonVotes.org has released its annual Missed Votes Report, detailing missed roll call votes on bills for every legislator during the 2010 Legislative Session, including the special Session.

WashingtonVotes.org, the premier legislative information website in Washington, provides concise, plain-English, objective descriptions of every bill, amendment and vote of the Washington legislature.

WashingtonVotes.org Director Brandon Houskeeper said "the Missed Votes Report enables Washingtonians to track the actions of their elected officials in Olympia without having to read and record information from thousands of pages of legislative documents." Houskeeper added, "our Missed Votes Report puts that same information in front Washingtonians with just one or two clicks."

There are a variety of reasons legislators miss votes. Houskeeper observed. "Legislators are often meeting with constituents, other lawmakers or dealing with unexpected emergencies, and that is the value of the Missed Votes Report." Houskeeper noted, "Washingtonians can use WashingtonVotes.org as an informational resource and tool to see if legislators have a consistent pattern of missing votes."

To see the total number of votes each Senator and Representative missed during the 2010 Session, go to http://www.washingtonvotes.org/MissedVotes.aspx and adjust the date range accordingly. You can see reports from previous sessions by changing the date criteria at the top of the page.

Click on a legislator's name for detailed information about the votes he or she missed. WashingtonVotes.org contacted the legislators from each chamber who missed the most votes and gave them an opportunity to explain why they missed votes.

Their comments are included in the report, as is a complete list of the missed votes for the 2010 Session. Read the 2010 Missed Votes Report online here.