GREENSBORO - A traveling Democrat and a GOP gubernatorial candidate have the dubious distinction of missing the most votes in this year's legislative session.

A tally by The News & Record shows Rep. Alice Bordsen, D-Alamance, and Sen. Fred Smith, R-Johnston, missed more floor votes than any other members of their respective chambers before the legislature adjourned this month.

Bordsen missed almost 30 percent of the votes cast on the House floor, taking part in 986 out of 1,400. Smith made 920 out of 1,238, missing about a quarter of the Senate's votes.

The two were bested only by lawmakers who died or resigned and by House Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange, who by tradition votes only to break ties.

Some of the votes involved only procedures, ceremonies or local issues, while the margin on many bills wasn't close enough for the absence of a few lawmakers to make a difference.

But Bordsen was absent when the $20.6 billion state budget was passed, and the bulk of her absences came in the last few days of the session, when many contentious issues reach a resolution.

She didn't return phone messages left by the newspaper at her home and legislative offices Friday.

House Democratic leader Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson, said Bordsen was traveling overseas on vacation as the session ran long. The legislature was obliged to approve a monthlong stopgap spending plan as budget writers battled past the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.

"She had planned that some time in advance," Holliman said. He noted that, while leaders would prefer members to be available for votes, Bordsen had finished her committee work and "we felt OK with it."

Smith, who also had excused absences on several of the session's last days, did not immediately return telephone messages left Sunday afternoon at his home and campaign office.

The News & Record's tally varies from the legislature's official record because House and Senate clerks don't count an "excused absence" as a missed vote, while the newspaper did.

According to that count, Rep. Alice Underhill, D-Craven, had the second-worst House record, casting 1,063 of 1,400 votes for a 75.93 percent participation, while Harold Brubaker, R-Randolph, was third with 1,064 of 1,400 votes (76 percent).

In the Senate, Smith was followed by Clark Jenkins, D-Edgecombe (940 of 1,238 votes, 75.93 percent) and Malcolm Graham, D-Mecklenburg (963 of 1,238 votes, 77.79 percent).

Three members each in the House and Senate had spotless records: Reps. Nelson Dollar, R-Wake; Phil Frye, R-Mitchell; and Bill Owens, D-Pasquotank; and Sens. Richard Stevens, R-Wake; Andrew Brock, R-Davie; and Tony Foriest, D-Alamance.

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