5 things to know about how NC lawmakers voted this year and who didn't show up for work

I analyzed voting and attendance data for all of North Carolina's 170 state lawmakers. Here are the takeaways:

State Reps. Tricia Cotham, D-Mecklenburg, and Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford talk during first day of legislative session on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023.

North Carolina lawmakers have wrapped up the bulk of their work for the year, leaving many to focus their energy on running for reelection or higher elected office.

As the Dec. 4 candidate filing launch for the March 5, 2024, primary approaches, I wanted to look at state lawmakers’ voting history and attendance numbers. It’s particularly important because it could be a subject of conversation in the coming months as candidates jockey for positioning. (Of note: the Senate doesn’t track the absences of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who administratively presides over the chamber).

The data used for this analysis is available to all paid Anderson Alerts members at the bottom of this article. And if you share the information, please make sure to credit Anderson Alerts and invite folks to subscribe.

Here’s what I found that you need to know:

1. Absent lawmakers 😴

Reps. Cecil Brockman (top left), Marvin Lucas (top right), Kelly Alexander (bottom left) and Tricia Cotham (bottom right) missed the most voting sessions.

During this legislative session, the House had 48 voting sessions and 610 total votes taken. The Senate had 56 voting sessions and 504 total votes taken, according to data I obtained from each chamber’s clerk.

Ten lawmakers missed at least one in five voting sessions, including these five Democrats and five Republicans: