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The Vote Ledger
JS

John Jackson Sparkman

Senator from Alabama
SENATEDEMOCRAT1937–1979ID S000701
Compare
LegislationHEADLINE
69%with Dems
of 4,110 votes
Nominations
—with Dems
of 0 · confirmations only
All contested
69%with Dems
of 4,110 · both combined
Steepest move
+22 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 ↓1937194319491955196119671973
1977–7895th Congress
Sat as a Democrat
66.8%with Democrats
of 431 contested votes
Votes for this Congress are open below
Steepest move: 1975 → 1977, +22 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 14, 1978H.R. 13750No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEADEM MAJORITY
Oct 14, 1978H.R. 9937No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 14, 1978H.R. 13511No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Full textNo description in the source record. What survives: the date, the bill number (H.R. 13511), 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, 1978H.R. 13511No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONNAYDEM MAJORITY
Oct 14, 1978S. 2493No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 14, 1978noneNo description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
Oct 14, 1978noneNo description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEADEM MAJORITY
Oct 14, 1978noneNo description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEADEM MAJORITY
Oct 14, 1978S. 3084No description in the source recordLEGISLATIONYEABOTH · NOT SCORED
9 most recent roll calls shown · 431 contested votes scored in the 95th CongressAll votes this Congress →

By policy area

career · legislation
Economics and Public Finance50% · 160 votes
Government Operations and Politics51.2% · 123 votes
Energy52.4% · 103 votes
Taxation31.6% · 76 votes
Law31.7% · 63 votes
Congress54.4% · 57 votes
Agriculture and Food75% · 52 votes
Armed Forces and National Security31.4% · 51 votes
International Affairs40.4% · 47 votes
Foreign Trade and International Finance41.7% · 36 votes
Public Lands and Natural Resources44.1% · 34 votes
Animals100% · 28 votes
Commerce40.7% · 27 votes
Labor and Employment46.2% · 26 votes
Transportation and Public Works56% · 25 votes
Environmental Protection57.1% · 21 votes
Education26.3% · 19 votes
Social Welfare73.7% · 19 votes
Depletion allowances55.6% · 18 votes
Income tax83.3% · 18 votes
Crime and Law Enforcement12.5% · 16 votes
Health53.3% · 15 votes
Power resources73.3% · 15 votes
Finance and Financial Sector85.7% · 14 votes
Political participation80% · 10 votes
Too few contested votes to score
Congressional-Presidential relations— · 9 votes
Political representation— · 9 votes
Automobile insurance— · 8 votes
Economic stabilization— · 8 votes
Public works— · 8 votes
Science, Technology, Communications— · 8 votes
Solar heating and cooling— · 8 votes
Amnesties— · 7 votes
Intergovernmental relations— · 6 votes
Age and employment— · 5 votes
Black lung— · 5 votes
Constitutional amendments— · 5 votes
Day care— · 5 votes
Embargo— · 5 votes
Housing and Community Development— · 5 votes
Independent regulatory commissions— · 5 votes
Industrial relations— · 5 votes
Mortgages— · 5 votes
Petroleum industry— · 5 votes
Credit— · 4 votes
Territories (U.S.)— · 4 votes
Heating— · 3 votes
International monetary system— · 3 votes
Mines and mineral resources— · 3 votes
Motor vehicles— · 3 votes
Range management— · 3 votes
Government corporations— · 2 votes
Government securities— · 2 votes
Sports and Recreation— · 2 votes
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues— · 1 vote
Congressional oversight— · 1 vote
Conservation of natural resources— · 1 vote
Dairy industry— · 1 vote
Disaster relief— · 1 vote
Federal advisory bodies— · 1 vote
Intergovernmental fiscal relations— · 1 vote
Lobbying— · 1 vote
Private Legislation— · 1 vote
Ships and shipping— · 1 vote
Vietnamese Conflict— · 1 vote

They also voted in 45 areas where the parties never split, so there is nothing to score — never on a contested question: Arts, Culture, Religion, Auditing, Awards, medals, prizes, Child abuse, Child welfare, Commemorations, Congressional-executive relations, Disabled, District of Columbia, Droughts, Electronic surveillance, Emergency Management, Executive reorganization, Explosives, Gambling, Gold, Government publications, Home repair and improvement, Human experimentation in medicine, Immigration, Import restrictions, Interest, Investment guaranty insurance, Lakes, Land use, Lead poisoning, Livestock, Medical supplies, Mobile homes, Monuments and memorials, Municipal finance, Native Americans, Nuclear facilities, Nuclear weapons, Postal rates and revenues, Postal service, Reclamation of land, Refugees, Revenue sharing, Right of privacy, Rivers, Salaries, Strategic materials, Terrorism, Water Resources Development.

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

Service record

21 Congresses
75th · 193780th · 194795th · 1977
Democrat · House · AL75th–79th
Democrat · Senate · AL80th–95th
Term datesexact
Members · Alabama
JS

John Jackson Sparkman

Senator from Alabama
SENATED1937–197921 CONGRESSES
Compare
LegislationHEADLINE
68.9%with Democrats
of 4,110 votes · 31.1% with Republicans
Nominations—of 0 votes
All contested69%of 4,110 · combined
Steepest move+22 pts1975→77, as a Democrat

Career arc

10050019371977
1977–78 · 95th · Democrat · of 431 votes66.8%

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 · 431 contested votes scored in the 95th

By policy area

career
Economics and Public Finance50% · 160
Government Operations and Politics51.2% · 123
Energy52.4% · 103
Taxation31.6% · 76
Law31.7% · 63
Congress54.4% · 57
Agriculture and Food75% · 52
Armed Forces and National Security31.4% · 51
International Affairs40.4% · 47
Foreign Trade and International Finance41.7% · 36
Public Lands and Natural Resources44.1% · 34
Animals100% · 28
Commerce40.7% · 27
Labor and Employment46.2% · 26
Transportation and Public Works56% · 25
Environmental Protection57.1% · 21
Education26.3% · 19
Social Welfare73.7% · 19
Depletion allowances55.6% · 18
Income tax83.3% · 18
Crime and Law Enforcement12.5% · 16
Health53.3% · 15
Power resources73.3% · 15
Finance and Financial Sector85.7% · 14
Political participation80% · 10
Congressional-Presidential relations— · 9
Political representation— · 9
Automobile insurance— · 8
Economic stabilization— · 8
Public works— · 8
Science, Technology, Communications— · 8
Solar heating and cooling— · 8
Amnesties— · 7
Intergovernmental relations— · 6
Age and employment— · 5
Black lung— · 5
Constitutional amendments— · 5
Day care— · 5
Embargo— · 5
Housing and Community Development— · 5
Independent regulatory commissions— · 5
Industrial relations— · 5
Mortgages— · 5
Petroleum industry— · 5
Credit— · 4
Territories (U.S.)— · 4
Heating— · 3
International monetary system— · 3
Mines and mineral resources— · 3
Motor vehicles— · 3
Range management— · 3
Government corporations— · 2
Government securities— · 2
Sports and Recreation— · 2
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues— · 1
Congressional oversight— · 1
Conservation of natural resources— · 1
Dairy industry— · 1
Disaster relief— · 1
Federal advisory bodies— · 1
Intergovernmental fiscal relations— · 1
Lobbying— · 1
Private Legislation— · 1
Ships and shipping— · 1
Vietnamese Conflict— · 1

Also voted in 45 areas where the parties never split — never on a contested question: Arts, Culture, Religion, Auditing, Awards, medals, prizes, Child abuse, Child welfare, Commemorations, Congressional-executive relations, Disabled, District of Columbia, Droughts, Electronic surveillance, Emergency Management, Executive reorganization, Explosives, Gambling, Gold, Government publications, Home repair and improvement, Human experimentation in medicine, Immigration, Import restrictions, Interest, Investment guaranty insurance, Lakes, Land use, Lead poisoning, Livestock, Medical supplies, Mobile homes, Monuments and memorials, Municipal finance, Native Americans, Nuclear facilities, Nuclear weapons, Postal rates and revenues, Postal service, Reclamation of land, Refugees, Revenue sharing, Right of privacy, Rivers, Salaries, Strategic materials, Terrorism, Water Resources Development.

Service record

75th · 193795th · 1977
Democrat75th–79th
Democrat80th–95th

Party switchers

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