Michigan lawmakers missed 3,072 roll call votes last year. | Pixabay
Michigan lawmakers missed 3,072 roll call votes last year. | Pixabay
Figures compiled by Jack McHugh, editor of MichiganVotes.org, showed that Michigan state legislators missed more roll call votes in 2020 than they did in 2019, which could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The number of missed votes could have been a lot higher given the epidemic,” McHugh said, according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a think tank nonprofit. “Legislative leaders and members had to overcome many obstacles to schedule and show up for daily sessions.”
The report said the state’s 38 senators and 110 House members missed 3,072 roll call votes during 2020. From that total, three senators and 15 representatives missed more than 50 votes, but 15 senators and 54 House members didn't miss a single vote.
Michigan representatives and senators missed only 768 votes in 2019.
The report said the spread of the coronavirus, resulting in illness and quarantine periods, could be responsible for more missed votes this legislative session.
Nevertheless, the total for 2020 is far less than the number of missed votes during the 2001-2002 session, which saw Michigan lawmakers missing a vote 21,162 times.
In addition to personal or health issues, a legislator may miss a vote because they have a potential conflict of interest.
MichiganVotes.org has a complete list of the votes missed.
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