The dog might not have eaten your vote..........................poochie might be the one voting.........my dad from his house in Prince William County, Virginia............if he has a dog................might be like...........fuck it........hey rover......come here..............just put your paw here.......................doggie might have voted..........only in America.................like wow........


These statements are by no means required — only one in six absences are explained — but they document a little-discussed aspect of the lives and work of lawmakers, and provide hints at the competing priorities and difficulties of a system that, to many, seems chronically dysfunctional.
The reasons lawmakers cite most for missing votes range from the mundane (travel delays, often due to weather, or remaining in their districts for job fairs) to more personal (the birth of a child or a graduation ceremony or illness). Lawmakers have missed more than 2,000 votes for medical reasons, and thousands more for personal and family reasons.