Since the 1920s, the roll call voting record has influenced American politics. Using recorded votes, candidates attack electoral opponents, interest groups attempt to drum up financial or electoral support for their preferred candidates, scholars test theories of legislative behavior, and the media characterizes the ideological leanings of Congress. Despite this, there has not been a systematic attempt to document the changing usage of the roll call record. Michael S. Lynch and Anthony J. Madonna have undertaken a massive, multiyear data collection effort that culminated in four new datasets covering from 1905 to the contemporary period. Using data on approximately 120,000 amendments, 60,000 roll call votes, 2,000 important enactments, and 8,000 special rules from 1905 to 2015, the authors demonstrate how the roll call recording system has evolved. 

Consistent with the Founders’ skepticism of the impact of recorded voting in Congress, Broken Record shows that the contemporary roll call voting record includes far more meaningless position-taking and procedural roll call votes than it did during earlier congresses. The book argues that the removal of practical barriers to roll calls, internal changes to legislative procedures, and increased electoral competitiveness have led to more roll call votes on proposals sponsored by more extreme members. In addition to policy making being more difficult, increased roll call voting has played a substantial role in artificially increasing observed levels of polarization. This book argues that solving polarization requires a more nuanced set of solutions than simply replacing legislators; it will require increased public education about how Congress operates and specific procedural reforms.

Michael S. Lynch is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia. 
Anthony J. Madonna is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 – Recorded Voting in Congress: Powers and Limitations
Chapter 2 – Origins of Recorded Voting: Searching for Balance
Chapter 3 – The Evolving Roll Call Record
Chapter 4 – Legislative Transparency: A Casualty of Procedural Warfare
Chapter 5 – Viagra for Ideologues: The Rise of Messaging Amendments
Chapter 6 – Letting the Students Write the Exam
Chapter 7 – The Roll Call Record: Endless Loops, Skipped Tracks and a Distorted Sound
Appendix A –Roll Call Vote Type Data
Appendix B – Generating a List of Important Legislation
Appendix C – Coding Special Rules
Appendix D – Coding Recorded and Unrecorded Amendments
References