The Vote Ledger
/
Data through Sep 17, 2026Compare members
The Vote Ledger
RM

Ralph Harold Metcalfe

Representative from Illinois
HOUSEDEMOCRAT1971–1979ID M000675
Compare
LegislationHEADLINE
95%with Dems
of 1,392 votes
Nominations
—with Dems
of 0 · confirmations only
All contested
95%with Dems
of 1,392 · both combined
Steepest move
+3 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 ↓19711977
1977–7895th Congress
Sat as a Democrat
96.5%with Democrats
of 454 contested votes
Votes for this Congress are open below
Steepest move: 1975 → 1977, +3 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 6, 1978H.R. 11545No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONNAYDEM MAJORITY
Oct 6, 1978H.R. 13750No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEADEM MAJORITY
Oct 6, 1978H.R. 13750No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Full textNo description in the source record. What survives: the date, the bill number (H.R. 13750), 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 6, 1978S. 2640No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 6, 1978H.Res. 1410No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 6, 1978H.Res. 1404No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 5, 1978H.R. 13471No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 5, 1978H.R. 13471No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 5, 1978H.R. 13471No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONNAYDEM MAJORITY
9 most recent roll calls shown · 454 contested votes scored in the 95th CongressAll votes this Congress →

By policy area

career · legislation
Economics and Public Finance93.8% · 243 votes
Congress97.1% · 136 votes
Energy95.5% · 89 votes
Government Operations and Politics96.6% · 89 votes
International Affairs94.6% · 74 votes
Armed Forces and National Security90.6% · 32 votes
Labor and Employment100% · 32 votes
Transportation and Public Works96.9% · 32 votes
Agriculture and Food86.2% · 29 votes
Public Lands and Natural Resources76.9% · 26 votes
Taxation100% · 25 votes
Environmental Protection100% · 22 votes
Commerce100% · 19 votes
Education100% · 17 votes
Law100% · 17 votes
Crime and Law Enforcement100% · 16 votes
Foreign Trade and International Finance93.3% · 15 votes
District of Columbia100% · 14 votes
Health100% · 13 votes
Industrial relations100% · 13 votes
Social Welfare100% · 12 votes
Mines and mineral resources100% · 11 votes
Housing and Community Development100% · 10 votes
Too few contested votes to score
Congressional-Presidential relations— · 9 votes
Lobbying— · 9 votes
Vietnamese Conflict— · 9 votes
Finance and Financial Sector— · 8 votes
Science, Technology, Communications— · 8 votes
Depletion allowances— · 7 votes
Electronic surveillance— · 6 votes
Independent regulatory commissions— · 6 votes
Public works— · 6 votes
Arts, Culture, Religion— · 5 votes
Commemorations— · 4 votes
Constitutional amendments— · 4 votes
Government securities— · 4 votes
Income tax— · 4 votes
Political participation— · 4 votes
Private Legislation— · 4 votes
Coins and coinage— · 3 votes
Congressional-executive relations— · 3 votes
Credit— · 3 votes
Embargo— · 3 votes
Financial disclosure— · 3 votes
Home repair and improvement— · 3 votes
Indian claims— · 3 votes
International economic relations— · 3 votes
Municipal finance— · 3 votes
Petroleum industry— · 3 votes
Revenue sharing— · 3 votes
Conferences— · 2 votes
Contested elections— · 2 votes
Executive reorganization— · 2 votes
Life insurance— · 2 votes
Monuments and memorials— · 2 votes
Mortgages— · 2 votes
Printing— · 2 votes
Real property— · 2 votes
Territories (U.S.)— · 2 votes
Water Resources Development— · 2 votes
Animals— · 1 vote
Aquaculture— · 1 vote
Barber and beauty shops— · 1 vote
Black lung— · 1 vote
Chemicals— · 1 vote
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues— · 1 vote
Congressional oversight— · 1 vote
Day care— · 1 vote
Disabled— · 1 vote
Domestic relations— · 1 vote
Droughts— · 1 vote
Emergency Management— · 1 vote
Gold— · 1 vote
Government corporations— · 1 vote
Heating— · 1 vote
Immigration— · 1 vote
Impeachments— · 1 vote
Import restrictions— · 1 vote
Intergovernmental relations— · 1 vote
Motor vehicles— · 1 vote
Museums— · 1 vote
Native Americans— · 1 vote
Noise— · 1 vote
Political representation— · 1 vote
Postal rates and revenues— · 1 vote
Postal service— · 1 vote
Reclamation of land— · 1 vote
Refugees— · 1 vote
Rehabilitation— · 1 vote
Right of privacy— · 1 vote
Right to counsel— · 1 vote
Rivers— · 1 vote
Youth— · 1 vote

They also voted in 73 areas where the parties never split, so there is nothing to score — never on a contested question: Age and employment, Agriculture in foreign trade, American Revolution Bicentennial, Auditing, Aviation insurance, Awards, medals, prizes, Broadcasting, Cemeteries and funerals, Checks, Child abuse, Child welfare, Citizenship, Clergy, Climate, Commodity control, Conservation of natural resources, Contempt of legislative bodies, Corporations, Cultural centers, Customs administration, Dairy industry, Disaster relief, Earthquakes, Economic stabilization, Emigration, Families, Federal advisory bodies, Federal-state relations, Fire fighters, Fishes, Gambling, Government life insurance, Government property, Government publications, Human rights, Insect control, Interest, Intergovernmental fiscal relations, International agencies, Lakes, Leases, Libraries, Livestock, Lotteries, Marine mammal protection, Marine resources conservation, Minorities, Municipal budgets, Municipal home rule, Municipal politics and government, Narcotics, National emblems, Nuclear facilities, Nuclear weapons, Photovoltaic power systems, Political prisoners, Power resources, Prices, Public records, Real estate business, Recall of officials, Recreation areas, Referendum, Rural conditions, Salaries, Solar energy, Sports and Recreation, 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

4 Congresses
92nd · 197195th · 1977
Democrat · House · IL92nd–95th
Term datesexact
Members · Illinois
RM

Ralph Harold Metcalfe

Representative from Illinois
HOUSED1971–19794 CONGRESSES
Compare
LegislationHEADLINE
95.3%with Democrats
of 1,392 votes · 4.7% with Republicans
Nominations—of 0 votes
All contested95%of 1,392 · combined
Steepest move+3 pts1975→77, as a Democrat

Career arc

10050019711977
1977–78 · 95th · Democrat · of 454 votes96.5%

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 · 454 contested votes scored in the 95th

By policy area

career
Economics and Public Finance93.8% · 243
Congress97.1% · 136
Energy95.5% · 89
Government Operations and Politics96.6% · 89
International Affairs94.6% · 74
Armed Forces and National Security90.6% · 32
Labor and Employment100% · 32
Transportation and Public Works96.9% · 32
Agriculture and Food86.2% · 29
Public Lands and Natural Resources76.9% · 26
Taxation100% · 25
Environmental Protection100% · 22
Commerce100% · 19
Education100% · 17
Law100% · 17
Crime and Law Enforcement100% · 16
Foreign Trade and International Finance93.3% · 15
District of Columbia100% · 14
Health100% · 13
Industrial relations100% · 13
Social Welfare100% · 12
Mines and mineral resources100% · 11
Housing and Community Development100% · 10
Congressional-Presidential relations— · 9
Lobbying— · 9
Vietnamese Conflict— · 9
Finance and Financial Sector— · 8
Science, Technology, Communications— · 8
Depletion allowances— · 7
Electronic surveillance— · 6
Independent regulatory commissions— · 6
Public works— · 6
Arts, Culture, Religion— · 5
Commemorations— · 4
Constitutional amendments— · 4
Government securities— · 4
Income tax— · 4
Political participation— · 4
Private Legislation— · 4
Coins and coinage— · 3
Congressional-executive relations— · 3
Credit— · 3
Embargo— · 3
Financial disclosure— · 3
Home repair and improvement— · 3
Indian claims— · 3
International economic relations— · 3
Municipal finance— · 3
Petroleum industry— · 3
Revenue sharing— · 3
Conferences— · 2
Contested elections— · 2
Executive reorganization— · 2
Life insurance— · 2
Monuments and memorials— · 2
Mortgages— · 2
Printing— · 2
Real property— · 2
Territories (U.S.)— · 2
Water Resources Development— · 2
Animals— · 1
Aquaculture— · 1
Barber and beauty shops— · 1
Black lung— · 1
Chemicals— · 1
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues— · 1
Congressional oversight— · 1
Day care— · 1
Disabled— · 1
Domestic relations— · 1
Droughts— · 1
Emergency Management— · 1
Gold— · 1
Government corporations— · 1
Heating— · 1
Immigration— · 1
Impeachments— · 1
Import restrictions— · 1
Intergovernmental relations— · 1
Motor vehicles— · 1
Museums— · 1
Native Americans— · 1
Noise— · 1
Political representation— · 1
Postal rates and revenues— · 1
Postal service— · 1
Reclamation of land— · 1
Refugees— · 1
Rehabilitation— · 1
Right of privacy— · 1
Right to counsel— · 1
Rivers— · 1
Youth— · 1

Also voted in 73 areas where the parties never split — never on a contested question: Age and employment, Agriculture in foreign trade, American Revolution Bicentennial, Auditing, Aviation insurance, Awards, medals, prizes, Broadcasting, Cemeteries and funerals, Checks, Child abuse, Child welfare, Citizenship, Clergy, Climate, Commodity control, Conservation of natural resources, Contempt of legislative bodies, Corporations, Cultural centers, Customs administration, Dairy industry, Disaster relief, Earthquakes, Economic stabilization, Emigration, Families, Federal advisory bodies, Federal-state relations, Fire fighters, Fishes, Gambling, Government life insurance, Government property, Government publications, Human rights, Insect control, Interest, Intergovernmental fiscal relations, International agencies, Lakes, Leases, Libraries, Livestock, Lotteries, Marine mammal protection, Marine resources conservation, Minorities, Municipal budgets, Municipal home rule, Municipal politics and government, Narcotics, National emblems, Nuclear facilities, Nuclear weapons, Photovoltaic power systems, Political prisoners, Power resources, Prices, Public records, Real estate business, Recall of officials, Recreation areas, Referendum, Rural conditions, Salaries, Solar energy, Sports and Recreation, Strategic materials, Terrorism, Tobacco, Volunteer workers, Water conservation, Witnesses.

Service record

92nd · 197195th · 1977
Democrat92nd–95th

Party switchers

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