Senator Collins to Cast 6,000th Consecutive Roll Call Vote

  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins will cast her 6,000th consecutive roll call vote. The fourth term, senior Senator from Maine has never missed a vote since taking office in January 1997—a record that makes her the longest-serving member of the current United States Senate never to have missed a roll call vote.
 
      “It is a great honor to represent Maine in the United States Senate, and I am deeply grateful for the trust that the people of Maine have placed in me. Public service is a responsibility that I have always taken very seriously,” said Senator Collins. “Voting is a Senator’s most important responsibility, and one of my goals has always been to make sure that Maine is represented to the extent that it is humanly possible for me to be present for votes. People around the country respect Mainers for their work ethic and diligence, values that I have always worked to reflect during my time in the United States Senate.”
 
      “I realize how fortunate I am to have been blessed with good health and to have avoided emergencies that required my presence,” she continued.
 
      Senator Collins’ voting streak was inspired by the legendary Senator from Maine, Margaret Chase Smith, who did not miss a vote for 13 years until surgery forced to her to do so. Senator Collins surpassed Senator Smith’s record in 2005. Senator Smith cast 2,941 consecutive votes over 13 years before missing her first vote on September 6, 1968.
 
      Senator Collins cast her first vote on January 22, 1997, when she voted to confirm Madeleine Albright as Secretary of State. Her second vote, the same day, was to confirm former Maine Senator Bill Cohen as Secretary of Defense. Senator Collins was the presiding officer in the Senate Chamber when he was confirmed. Senator Collins had worked for Senator Bill Cohen for nearly 12 years in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
 
      In addition to never missing a roll call vote, Senator Collins continues to return home to Maine for weekends and during congressional recesses to meet with constituents, visit communities, businesses, and schools throughout the state, and to spend time at her home in Bangor.