Sen. Robert Byrd

Former Senator from West Virginia

Democrat

Elected Positions

Dates	Title	State / District
1959-2010	Senator	West Virginia
1957-1958	Representative	West Virginia's 6^th District
1953-1956	Representative	West Virginia's 6^th District

Sponsorship Analysis

Our unique analysis of the bills Byrd sponsored and cosponsored provides insight into his position in the Senate.

Each dot in the chart below is a member of the Senate. The dots are positioned horizontally according to our progressive—conservative ideology score and vertically according to our leadership score (leaders toward the top). Byrd is shown as a purple triangle. (analysis methodology)

Bills Sponsored

Some of Byrd’s most recently sponsored bills include...

View All » (including bills from previous years)

Voting Record

From Jan 1959 to Jun 2010, Byrd missed 541 of 19,228 roll call votes, which is 2.8%. This is worse than the median of 2.0% among the lifetime records of senators serving in Jun 2010. The chart below reports missed votes over time.

Show the numbers...

Time Period	Votes Elligible	Missed Votes	Percent	Percentile
1959 Jan-Apr	57	0	0.0%	0^th
1959 May-Aug	128	3	2.3%	0^th
1959 Sep-Sep	30	0	0.0%	0^th
1960 Jan-Apr	79	10	12.7%	0^th
1960 May-Aug	123	3	2.4%	0^th
1960 Sep-Sep	5	0	0.0%	0^th
1961 Jan-Apr	31	0	0.0%	0^th
1961 May-Aug	137	1	0.7%	0^th
1961 Sep-Sep	36	0	0.0%	0^th
1962 Jan-Mar	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1962 Apr-Jun	62	0	0.0%	0^th
1962 Jul-Sep	122	3	2.5%	0^th
1962 Oct-Oct	18	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Jan-Mar	8	0	0.0%	0^th
1963 Apr-Jun	73	3	4.1%	33^rd
1963 Jul-Sep	61	1	1.6%	0^th
1963 Oct-Dec	87	6	6.9%	33^rd
1964 Jan-Mar	60	1	1.7%	0^th
1964 Apr-Jun	138	0	0.0%	0^th
1964 Jul-Sep	106	7	6.6%	33^rd
1964 Oct-Oct	1	0	0.0%	0^th
1965 Jan-Mar	32	1	3.1%	0^th
1965 Apr-Jun	106	9	8.5%	33^rd
1965 Jul-Sep	106	4	3.8%	33^rd
1965 Oct-Oct	15	0	0.0%	0^th
1966 Jan-Mar	28	0	0.0%	0^th
1966 Apr-Jun	56	7	12.5%	0^th
1966 Jul-Sep	119	3	2.5%	0^th
1966 Oct-Oct	35	7	20.0%	0^th
1967 Jan-Mar	53	0	0.0%	0^th
1967 Apr-Jun	70	1	1.4%	0^th
1967 Jul-Sep	81	0	0.0%	0^th
1967 Oct-Dec	111	0	0.0%	0^th
1968 Jan-Mar	69	0	0.0%	0^th
1968 Apr-Jun	96	1	1.0%	0^th
1968 Jul-Sep	89	6	6.7%	0^th
1968 Oct-Oct	27	4	14.8%	0^th
1969 Jan-Mar	17	0	0.0%	0^th
1969 Apr-Jun	22	2	9.1%	33^rd
1969 Jul-Sep	44	0	0.0%	0^th
1969 Oct-Dec	156	6	3.8%	0^th
1970 Jan-Mar	100	2	2.0%	0^th
1970 Apr-Jun	91	3	3.3%	0^th
1970 Jul-Sep	122	0	0.0%	0^th
1970 Oct-Dec	106	1	0.9%	0^th
1971 Feb-Mar	25	0	0.0%	0^th
1971 Apr-Jun	89	0	0.0%	0^th
1971 Jul-Sep	109	0	0.0%	0^th
1971 Oct-Dec	202	6	3.0%	0^th
1972 Jan-Mar	119	0	0.0%	0^th
1972 Apr-Jun	130	0	0.0%	0^th
1972 Jul-Sep	206	1	0.5%	0^th
1972 Oct-Oct	75	4	5.3%	0^th
1973 Jan-Mar	67	0	0.0%	0^th
1973 Apr-Jun	192	0	0.0%	0^th
1973 Jul-Sep	167	0	0.0%	0^th
1973 Oct-Dec	168	0	0.0%	0^th
1974 Jan-Mar	94	0	0.0%	0^th
1974 Apr-Jun	179	0	0.0%	0^th
1974 Jul-Sep	138	0	0.0%	0^th
1974 Oct-Dec	133	0	0.0%	0^th
1975 Jan-Mar	117	0	0.0%	0^th
1975 Apr-Jun	141	0	0.0%	0^th
1975 Jul-Sep	168	1	0.6%	0^th
1975 Oct-Dec	180	5	2.8%	0^th
1976 Jan-Mar	109	2	1.8%	0^th
1976 Apr-Jun	263	3	1.1%	0^th
1976 Jul-Sep	314	0	0.0%	0^th
1976 Oct-Oct	13	0	0.0%	0^th
1977 Jan-Mar	92	0	0.0%	0^th
1977 Apr-Jun	178	0	0.0%	0^th
1977 Jul-Sep	233	0	0.0%	0^th
1977 Oct-Dec	132	0	0.0%	0^th
1978 Jan-Mar	78	1	1.3%	0^th
1978 Apr-Jun	119	0	0.0%	0^th
1978 Jul-Sep	236	1	0.4%	0^th
1978 Oct-Oct	86	0	0.0%	0^th
1979 Feb-Mar	32	0	0.0%	0^th
1979 Apr-Jun	121	2	1.7%	10^th
1979 Jul-Sep	171	0	0.0%	0^th
1979 Oct-Dec	184	0	0.0%	0^th
1980 Jan-Mar	67	4	6.0%	40^th
1980 Apr-Jun	216	0	0.0%	0^th
1980 Jul-Sep	179	1	0.6%	10^th
1980 Oct-Dec	84	0	0.0%	0^th
1981 Jan-Mar	57	0	0.0%	0^th
1981 Apr-Jun	125	0	0.0%	0^th
1981 Jul-Sep	121	2	1.7%	31^st
1981 Oct-Dec	193	20	10.4%	54^th
1982 Feb-Mar	79	0	0.0%	0^th
1982 Apr-Jun	127	0	0.0%	0^th
1982 Jul-Sep	177	0	0.0%	0^th
1982 Oct-Dec	86	0	0.0%	0^th
1983 Feb-Mar	54	0	0.0%	0^th
1983 Apr-Jun	122	0	0.0%	0^th
1983 Jul-Sep	92	0	0.0%	0^th
1983 Oct-Nov	102	0	0.0%	0^th
1984 Jan-Mar	45	0	0.0%	0^th
1984 Apr-Jun	144	1	0.7%	7^th
1984 Jul-Sep	68	4	5.9%	53^rd
1984 Oct-Oct	34	0	0.0%	0^th
1985 Jan-Mar	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1985 Apr-Jun	116	0	0.0%	0^th
1985 Jul-Sep	60	0	0.0%	0^th
1985 Oct-Dec	183	0	0.0%	0^th
1986 Jan-Mar	51	0	0.0%	0^th
1986 Apr-Jun	103	0	0.0%	0^th
1986 Jul-Sep	149	0	0.0%	0^th
1986 Oct-Oct	56	0	0.0%	0^th
1987 Jan-Mar	50	0	0.0%	0^th
1987 Apr-Jun	123	0	0.0%	0^th
1987 Jul-Sep	120	0	0.0%	0^th
1987 Oct-Dec	127	0	0.0%	0^th
1988 Jan-Mar	84	0	0.0%	0^th
1988 Apr-Jun	137	0	0.0%	0^th
1988 Jul-Sep	127	0	0.0%	0^th
1988 Oct-Oct	31	0	0.0%	0^th
1989 Jan-Mar	26	0	0.0%	0^th
1989 Apr-Jun	77	0	0.0%	0^th
1989 Jul-Sep	118	0	0.0%	0^th
1989 Oct-Nov	91	0	0.0%	0^th
1990 Jan-Mar	48	0	0.0%	0^th
1990 Apr-Jun	95	0	0.0%	0^th
1990 Jul-Sep	114	0	0.0%	0^th
1990 Oct-Oct	69	0	0.0%	0^th
1991 Jan-Mar	41	0	0.0%	0^th
1991 Apr-Jun	74	0	0.0%	0^th
1991 Jul-Sep	96	0	0.0%	0^th
1991 Oct-Nov	69	0	0.0%	0^th
1992 Jan-Mar	61	0	0.0%	0^th
1992 Apr-Jun	74	0	0.0%	0^th
1992 Jul-Sep	117	0	0.0%	0^th
1992 Oct-Oct	18	0	0.0%	0^th
1993 Feb-Mar	93	0	0.0%	0^th
1993 Apr-Jun	99	0	0.0%	0^th
1993 Jul-Sep	109	0	0.0%	0^th
1993 Oct-Nov	94	0	0.0%	0^th
1994 Jan-Mar	86	0	0.0%	0^th
1994 Apr-Jun	92	0	0.0%	0^th
1994 Jul-Sep	136	0	0.0%	0^th
1994 Oct-Dec	15	0	0.0%	0^th
1995 Jan-Mar	125	0	0.0%	0^th
1995 Apr-Jun	171	0	0.0%	0^th
1995 Jul-Sep	184	0	0.0%	0^th
1995 Oct-Dec	133	0	0.0%	0^th
1996 Jan-Mar	60	0	0.0%	0^th
1996 Apr-Jun	122	0	0.0%	0^th
1996 Jul-Sep	121	0	0.0%	0^th
1996 Oct-Oct	3	0	0.0%	0^th
1997 Jan-Mar	35	0	0.0%	0^th
1997 Apr-Jun	125	0	0.0%	0^th
1997 Jul-Sep	103	1	1.0%	55^th
1997 Oct-Nov	35	0	0.0%	0^th
1998 Jan-Mar	52	0	0.0%	0^th
1998 Apr-Jun	131	0	0.0%	0^th
1998 Jul-Sep	109	0	0.0%	0^th
1998 Oct-Oct	22	0	0.0%	0^th
1999 Jan-Mar	81	2	2.5%	78^th
1999 Apr-Jun	111	0	0.0%	0^th
1999 Jul-Sep	112	0	0.0%	0^th
1999 Oct-Nov	70	0	0.0%	0^th
2000 Feb-Mar	51	0	0.0%	0^th
2000 Apr-Jun	120	0	0.0%	0^th
2000 Jul-Sep	89	0	0.0%	0^th
2000 Oct-Dec	38	0	0.0%	0^th
2001 Jan-Mar	63	0	0.0%	0^th
2001 Apr-Jun	157	0	0.0%	0^th
2001 Jul-Sep	68	0	0.0%	0^th
2001 Oct-Dec	92	0	0.0%	0^th
2002 Jan-Mar	59	1	1.7%	34^th
2002 Apr-Jun	107	1	0.9%	38^th
2002 Jul-Sep	61	0	0.0%	0^th
2002 Oct-Nov	26	0	0.0%	0^th
2003 Jan-Mar	112	4	3.6%	81^st
2003 Apr-Jun	150	12	8.0%	93^rd
2003 Jul-Sep	108	0	0.0%	0^th
2003 Oct-Nov	89	2	2.2%	66^th
2004 Jan-Mar	64	2	3.1%	76^th
2004 Apr-Jun	88	0	0.0%	0^th
2004 Jul-Sep	42	1	2.4%	57^th
2004 Oct-Dec	22	0	0.0%	0^th
2005 Jan-Mar	81	0	0.0%	0^th
2005 Apr-Jun	89	3	3.4%	70^th
2005 Jul-Sep	76	3	3.9%	75^th
2005 Oct-Dec	120	1	0.8%	45^th
2006 Jan-Mar	83	10	12.0%	97^th
2006 Apr-Jun	107	0	0.0%	0^th
2006 Jul-Sep	73	0	0.0%	0^th
2006 Nov-Dec	16	0	0.0%	0^th
2007 Jan-Mar	126	1	0.8%	31^st
2007 Apr-Jun	112	0	0.0%	0^th
2007 Jul-Sep	119	9	7.6%	88^th
2007 Oct-Dec	85	0	0.0%	0^th
2008 Jan-Mar	85	39	45.9%	98^th
2008 Apr-Jun	77	16	20.8%	94^th
2008 Jul-Sep	47	0	0.0%	0^th
2008 Oct-Dec	6	0	0.0%	0^th
2009 Jan-Mar	118	2	1.7%	70^th
2009 Apr-Jun	96	29	30.2%	97^th
2009 Jul-Sep	89	77	86.5%	98^th
2009 Oct-Dec	94	51	54.3%	99^th
2010 Jan-Mar	108	57	52.8%	99^th
2010 Apr-Jun	92	64	69.6%	99^th

Primary Sources

The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:

The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
Congressional Biographical Directory for elected positions
United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990 by Howard L. Rosenthal and Keith T. Poole.
Martis’s “The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress”, via Keith Poole’s roll call votes data set, for political party affiliation for Members of Congress from 1789 through about year 2000
Congressional Pictorial Directory for the photo
THOMAS, for sponsored bills