45 percent of Iowa lawmakers have perfect attendance for floor votes during 2021 session

Sixty-eight of Iowa’s 150 legislators earned a gold star for perfect attendance during the 2021 session.

On average, lawmakers missed 6 percent of the floor votes taken in the House and Senate, according to the Club for Growth, which assembled a Missed Vote Iowa score card.

In the Senate, 26 of 50 members took all 270 votes and in the House, 42 of 100 representatives were present for 366 votes, according to the score card. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said that seemed typical for a legislative session.

At the other end of the spectrum, one senator missed 100 percent of the 270 votes taken in that chamber and another missed 53 percent. In the House, one member missed 95 percent of the votes and another 89 percent, according to the free enterprise advocacy group.

Some missed votes because of COVID-19

In several cases, COVID-19 was responsible for absences. For example, Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, missed 89 percent of the votes after contracting COVID-19. Likewise, Rep. Mary Wolfe, D-Clinton, missed 12 percent of the votes due to COVID-19. Rep. Dennis Cohoon, D-Burlington, also missed three weeks and 37 votes (10 percent) while absent for three weeks due to COVID-19.

Lawmakers miss votes for a host of reasons, including medical issues, family concerns, prior commitments and purely political motivations, the Club for Growth said in releasing its score card. The group generally doesn’t analyze why a lawmaker has missed a vote, but simply publishes the information for educational purposes only.

“Constituents need to know the missed votes records of their representatives so they can decide for themselves if elected officials are avoiding a difficult vote or have a legitimate reason for missing a particular vote,” said Club for Growth Foundation President David McIntosh. “Sadly, this information is often not available.”

Others missed votes because of military duty

In Sen. Zach Nunn’s case, the Altoona Republican was on active military duty at the Air Force War College in Montgomery, Ala.

Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, missed 33 votes because of his National Guard commitment in April.

Cedar Rapids senator cited lax virus protocols

Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, missed 53 percent of the votes because of what he considered lax coronavirus pandemic precautions at the Capitol.

In response to criticism from Republicans, Hogg, who is not seeking reelection, said he was present for what he considered “essential” days when the Senate was debating bills where he thought his contribution could have an impact. As a minority member in a chamber dominated 32-18 by Republicans, he noted most votes were party line regardless of points made during floor debate.

Remote voting not allowed

He wasn’t the only Democrat to complain about the Legislature’s failure to heed COVID-19 protocols, such as mask wearing. Others questioned policies of majority Republicans to prevent members from voting remotely. In the House, representatives could not participate in committee meetings or floor debate unless they were physically present.

“There was discussion (about) allowing legislators with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis to vote remotely, but the majority party declined to allow that to happen,” Wolfe said. “House members weren't even allowed to participate or vote in our subcommittee hearings and/or committee meetings despite the fact that these hearings/meetings were held remotely as well as in-person. I was allowed to watch, but not speak or vote.”

In the House, Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines, D-Des Moines, missed 95 percent of the votes. She did not respond to a request for comment.

Not all absences were due to military obligations or COVID-19.

Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids, who missed 75 votes (20 percent), responded to the Club for Growth: “I had a baby.”

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