Since 2007, ProPublica collected 5,058 'Personal Explanations' from House members covering 21,176 missed House votes, with only one in six absences explained.
Notes on verification
Figures match ProPublica's original reporting verbatim and are consistently reproduced across multiple syndicated republications with no contradictions found. [tier=unverified indep_score=0.3 clusters=5 claim_tier=notable] [rescored 2026-09-15: curated origin-host map (PR #65); unclassified hosts no longer scored as aggregators]
Sources
- The Dog Ate My Vote: How Congress Explains Its Absences (seed:politics_and_current_events)
- https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-dog-ate-my-vote-how-members-of-congress-explain-their-absences/ (corroboration)
- https://www.ktoo.org/2015/11/16/dog-ate-vote-congress-explains-absences/ (corroboration)
- https://www.salon.com/2015/11/15/the_dog_at_my_vote_how_congress_explains_its_absences_partner/ (corroboration)
- https://billmoyers.com/2015/11/12/the-dog-ate-my-vote-how-congress-explains-its-absences/ (corroboration)
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-dog-ate-my-vote-how-congress-explains-its-absences_n_5642778de4b060377346cc06 (corroboration)