Party Percent is the percentage representation of a Senator voting with their Party's majority on roll call votes against their current total of votes including Not Voting votes. Not voting counts as a negative against their Party’s Majority on a roll call vote. When measuring partisanship every vote counts so when a Senator does not vote (no matter what the reason) it acts negatively against the Party Majority and the Senator.

Party Percent Averages and Counts are just one representation of Senate Party Partisanship that shows the Democrats in the Senate being more partisan than the Republicans since 2005, why? Because the Democrats vote more often and in greater numbers with their Party Majority than the Republicans.

The Democrats have 47 out of 57 Democratic Senators voting 85% or above with their Party's Majority and only 2 voting below 75%, a partisanship record since 2005! The Republicans only have 27 of 43 Senators voting 85% or above with their Party's Majority and have 7 of their Senators voting at or below 75% including Senator Orin Hatch from Utah voting only 57% of the time with the Republican Majority but has a 92% Conservative Ranking Percentage, voting for only 3 pieces of progressive legislaton.  By comparison Senator Rand Paul has a Party Percent Average of 67% and a Conservative Ranking Percenatge of 71%, voting for only 6 of 68 pieces of progressive legislation.

Clearly the Democrats have the 'Partisan Edge' in the Senate while the Republicans spend most of their time reacting to overwhelming democrat partisanship while having a very difficult time promoting their own!

Although the Party Percent Average of a Senator is important and 85% or above is the standard for good standing within the Party but it can be misleading while measuring overall partisanship.  For example Republican Senator Scott Brown has a  75% Party Percent Average while having a negative Conservative Ranking Percentage of -8% because he has voted for more progressive legislation than conservative. Compared to Senator Jim DeMint's 74% Party Percent Average and Conservative Ranking Percentage of 90% because Senator DeMint voted for only 3 pieces of progressive legislation verses Brown's 33. For more information review the Ideology Page.

John McCain's Party Percent Average is currently at 89% because he missed 23 roll call votes this year, while running for President he did not vote 420 out of 657 (64%) roll call votes during the 2007-2008 Congressional years which lowered his Party Percent Average to 39% and 18%.  At $185,000 a year saleries, Senators should vote whenever possible, if they can't seem to vote at least 50% of the time they should resign the 'People's Senate Seat to someone that could! The Main Stream Media failed to point out Senators McCain and Obama's 'Not Voting' record in the Senate during the 2008 Presidental race.  The Main Stream Media gave them both a pass, but the American People should not!

John McCain and Jay Rockefeller are tied for first place at 23 while John Kerry and KayHutchinson are tied for second with 22.  Not voting counts negatively against a Senator and Party while measuring partisanship.

The 'Top 25 Not Voting Senators' of 2011 are ....

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