Congresman David Jolly is one of only three U.S. representatives to have never missed a vote. He joins Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack and Michigan’s Justin Amash on the shortlist. All three are Republicans.
A fourth, Democrat Derek Kilmer, was on that list until June, when he missed 14 votes, according to govtrack.us. Two U.S. senators, both in the GOP, are also on the list – Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Most of the lawmakers earning the distinction are fairly new to Washington. Womack and Amash took office in 2011, Fisher in 2013. Fischer’s perfect voting record is the most impressive. She’s been in office since 1997 and has cast all of the 645 roll call votes possible. Jolly is the freshest of the pack, having served less than one year after being elected during a special election to replace the late C.W. Bill Young, who had served more than 40 years in the U.S. House.
Jolly’s voting record, though new, is set to improve upon that of his predecessor. Young missed 2,057 votes throughout his tenure in Congress. That’s more than 8 percent of total votes possible and worse than the 2.5 percent lifetime average of other U.S. representatives. During his first year in office, Young missed 25 votes out of more than 300.
Jolly sees this as evidence of his dedication to voters and says he will remain committed to being a voice for Pinellas County voters in Washington.
“The job the people of Pinellas County elected me to do is something I take very seriously. It is a privilege and honor to serve them and I hope my voting record highlights my commitment to public service,” Jolly said.
