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The Vote Ledger
JM

John Melcher

Senator from Montana
SENATEDEMOCRAT1969–1989ID M000635
Compare
LegislationHEADLINE
77%with Dems
of 3,441 votes
Nominations
—with Dems
of 0 · confirmations only
All contested
77%with Dems
of 3,441 · both combined
Steepest move
−19 pts
1975 → 1977
still a Democrat

Career arc

Legislation leads. Each point is one Congress: how often they sided with the Democratic majority on contested bills, resolutions and amendments.

100%75%50%25%0%sides with Democrats ↑sides with Republicans ↓1969197519811987
1987–88100th Congress
Sat as a Democrat
81%with Democrats
of 332 contested votes
Votes for this Congress are open below
Steepest move: 1975 → 1977, −19 pts — while still a Democrat.
Sat as a DemocratSat as a RepublicanVotes available below

Votes

9 of these 9 roll calls have no description. About 25% of roll calls since 1989 are blank in the source too. Some also lack a bill number.

DateBillVoteTypeCastSided with
Oct 18, 1988S. 2011No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONNAYDEM MAJORITY
Oct 18, 1988S. 2751No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEANEITHER · NOT SCORED
Oct 18, 1988S. 2751No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Full textNo description in the source record. What survives: the date, the bill number (S. 2751), how they voted and which side that matched.Party majoritiesDemocrats Yea · Republicans YeaCounts toward scoreNo — both party majorities voted Yea.
Where this lands
YEAVoted with both majorities — not scored
Oct 14, 1988H.R. 5210No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 14, 1988H.R. 5210No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 14, 1988H.R. 5210No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 14, 1988H.R. 5210No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 14, 1988H.R. 5210No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 13, 1988H.R. 5210No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
9 most recent roll calls shown · 332 contested votes scored in the 100th CongressAll votes this Congress →

By policy area

career · legislation
Economics and Public Finance74.1% · 726 votes
Armed Forces and National Security85.3% · 279 votes
Government Operations and Politics74.7% · 194 votes
Energy50% · 192 votes
International Affairs56.1% · 180 votes
Agriculture and Food77.2% · 162 votes
Taxation65.6% · 131 votes
Congress85.7% · 119 votes
Foreign Trade and International Finance73.6% · 106 votes
Transportation and Public Works90.9% · 99 votes
Labor and Employment95.8% · 96 votes
Public Lands and Natural Resources82.6% · 69 votes
Education91.9% · 62 votes
Immigration83.3% · 48 votes
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues73.8% · 42 votes
Social Welfare95.2% · 42 votes
Environmental Protection89.7% · 39 votes
Crime and Law Enforcement85.7% · 35 votes
Finance and Financial Sector88.6% · 35 votes
Commerce81.8% · 33 votes
Housing and Community Development96.8% · 31 votes
Animals23.3% · 30 votes
Law80% · 30 votes
Health86.4% · 22 votes
Sports and Recreation86.4% · 22 votes
Income tax68.4% · 19 votes
Science, Technology, Communications70.6% · 17 votes
Mines and mineral resources100% · 13 votes
District of Columbia100% · 10 votes
Too few contested votes to score
Congressional-Presidential relations— · 9 votes
Political representation— · 9 votes
Solar heating and cooling— · 8 votes
Vietnamese Conflict— · 8 votes
Amnesties— · 7 votes
Depletion allowances— · 7 votes
Lobbying— · 7 votes
Age and employment— · 6 votes
Arts, Culture, Religion— · 6 votes
Constitutional amendments— · 6 votes
Independent regulatory commissions— · 6 votes
Industrial relations— · 6 votes
Mortgages— · 6 votes
Black lung— · 5 votes
Embargo— · 5 votes
Native Americans— · 5 votes
Political participation— · 4 votes
Private Legislation— · 4 votes
Public works— · 4 votes
Water Resources Development— · 4 votes
Coins and coinage— · 3 votes
Commemorations— · 3 votes
Congressional-executive relations— · 3 votes
Credit— · 3 votes
Families— · 3 votes
International economic relations— · 3 votes
International monetary system— · 3 votes
Petroleum industry— · 3 votes
Postal rates and revenues— · 3 votes
Revenue sharing— · 3 votes
Conferences— · 2 votes
Executive reorganization— · 2 votes
Government securities— · 2 votes
Life insurance— · 2 votes
Power resources— · 2 votes
Printing— · 2 votes
Real property— · 2 votes
Chemicals— · 1 vote
Congressional oversight— · 1 vote
Day care— · 1 vote
Disabled— · 1 vote
Emergency Management— · 1 vote
Gold— · 1 vote
Government corporations— · 1 vote
Heating— · 1 vote
Intergovernmental relations— · 1 vote
Lakes— · 1 vote
Livestock— · 1 vote
Monuments and memorials— · 1 vote
Motor vehicles— · 1 vote
Postal service— · 1 vote
Reclamation of land— · 1 vote
Refugees— · 1 vote
Right of privacy— · 1 vote
Right to counsel— · 1 vote
Rivers— · 1 vote
Territories (U.S.)— · 1 vote
Youth— · 1 vote

They also voted in 51 areas where the parties never split, so there is nothing to score — never on a contested question: American Revolution Bicentennial, Auditing, Awards, medals, prizes, Cemeteries and funerals, Child abuse, Child welfare, Citizenship, Clergy, Corporations, Dairy industry, Disaster relief, Droughts, Economic stabilization, Electronic surveillance, Federal advisory bodies, Federal-state relations, Fire fighters, Fishes, Gambling, Government life insurance, Government property, Home repair and improvement, Human experimentation in medicine, Impeachments, Import restrictions, Interest, Intergovernmental fiscal relations, Investment guaranty insurance, Leases, Libraries, Lotteries, Minorities, Municipal finance, Municipal politics and government, Narcotics, National emblems, Noise, Nuclear facilities, Nuclear weapons, Prices, Public records, Real estate business, Recreation areas, Salaries, Social Sciences and History, Strategic materials, Terrorism, Tobacco, Volunteer workers, Water conservation, Witnesses.

Blue is the share of votes siding with the Democratic majority; the tick marks 50%.

Service record

10 Congresses
91st · 196995th · 1977100th · 1987
Democrat · House · MT91st–94th
Democrat · Senate · MT95th–100th
Term datesexact
Members · Montana
JM

John Melcher

Senator from Montana
SENATED1969–198910 CONGRESSES
Compare
LegislationHEADLINE
77.1%with Democrats
of 3,441 votes · 22.9% with Republicans
Nominations—of 0 votes
All contested77%of 3,441 · combined
Steepest move−19 pts1975→77, as a Democrat

Career arc

10050019691987
1987–88 · 100th · Democrat · of 332 votes81%

Legislation leads. Tap a point to read that Congress.

Votes

About 25% of roll calls since 1989 are blank too. These rows carry a date, a bill number where one exists, how they voted and which side that matched.
Democratic majorityYea
Republican majorityYea
Counts toward scoreNo
Open roll call
Latest 6 shown · 332 contested votes scored in the 100th

By policy area

career
Economics and Public Finance74.1% · 726
Armed Forces and National Security85.3% · 279
Government Operations and Politics74.7% · 194
Energy50% · 192
International Affairs56.1% · 180
Agriculture and Food77.2% · 162
Taxation65.6% · 131
Congress85.7% · 119
Foreign Trade and International Finance73.6% · 106
Transportation and Public Works90.9% · 99
Labor and Employment95.8% · 96
Public Lands and Natural Resources82.6% · 69
Education91.9% · 62
Immigration83.3% · 48
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues73.8% · 42
Social Welfare95.2% · 42
Environmental Protection89.7% · 39
Crime and Law Enforcement85.7% · 35
Finance and Financial Sector88.6% · 35
Commerce81.8% · 33
Housing and Community Development96.8% · 31
Animals23.3% · 30
Law80% · 30
Health86.4% · 22
Sports and Recreation86.4% · 22
Income tax68.4% · 19
Science, Technology, Communications70.6% · 17
Mines and mineral resources100% · 13
District of Columbia100% · 10
Congressional-Presidential relations— · 9
Political representation— · 9
Solar heating and cooling— · 8
Vietnamese Conflict— · 8
Amnesties— · 7
Depletion allowances— · 7
Lobbying— · 7
Age and employment— · 6
Arts, Culture, Religion— · 6
Constitutional amendments— · 6
Independent regulatory commissions— · 6
Industrial relations— · 6
Mortgages— · 6
Black lung— · 5
Embargo— · 5
Native Americans— · 5
Political participation— · 4
Private Legislation— · 4
Public works— · 4
Water Resources Development— · 4
Coins and coinage— · 3
Commemorations— · 3
Congressional-executive relations— · 3
Credit— · 3
Families— · 3
International economic relations— · 3
International monetary system— · 3
Petroleum industry— · 3
Postal rates and revenues— · 3
Revenue sharing— · 3
Conferences— · 2
Executive reorganization— · 2
Government securities— · 2
Life insurance— · 2
Power resources— · 2
Printing— · 2
Real property— · 2
Chemicals— · 1
Congressional oversight— · 1
Day care— · 1
Disabled— · 1
Emergency Management— · 1
Gold— · 1
Government corporations— · 1
Heating— · 1
Intergovernmental relations— · 1
Lakes— · 1
Livestock— · 1
Monuments and memorials— · 1
Motor vehicles— · 1
Postal service— · 1
Reclamation of land— · 1
Refugees— · 1
Right of privacy— · 1
Right to counsel— · 1
Rivers— · 1
Territories (U.S.)— · 1
Youth— · 1

Also voted in 51 areas where the parties never split — never on a contested question: American Revolution Bicentennial, Auditing, Awards, medals, prizes, Cemeteries and funerals, Child abuse, Child welfare, Citizenship, Clergy, Corporations, Dairy industry, Disaster relief, Droughts, Economic stabilization, Electronic surveillance, Federal advisory bodies, Federal-state relations, Fire fighters, Fishes, Gambling, Government life insurance, Government property, Home repair and improvement, Human experimentation in medicine, Impeachments, Import restrictions, Interest, Intergovernmental fiscal relations, Investment guaranty insurance, Leases, Libraries, Lotteries, Minorities, Municipal finance, Municipal politics and government, Narcotics, National emblems, Noise, Nuclear facilities, Nuclear weapons, Prices, Public records, Real estate business, Recreation areas, Salaries, Social Sciences and History, Strategic materials, Terrorism, Tobacco, Volunteer workers, Water conservation, Witnesses.

Service record

91st · 1969100th · 1987
Democrat91st–94th
Democrat95th–100th

Party switchers

John Alexander LoganD→R · IL · 40thWesley Wade WatkinsD→R · OK · 105thBen Nighthorse CampbellD→R · CO · 104th
AD320 × 50 · Anchor