# UNANIMOUS! — THE ROLL CALL FILE ## The Part 3 File: A Full-Census Analysis of Every Recorded Floor Vote Cast by Lisa Demuth (R-MN, 2019–2026) and Francesca Hong (D-WI, 2021–2026) — What Passed Without Dissent, What Passed on Party Lines, Where Each Woman Broke With Her Caucus, and Who Broke With Her Companion files: [[Demuth_hub]] · [[Hong_hub]] · [[Hong_Demuth_Convergence]] · [[Essay_5000_The_Same_Woman_Twice]] Essays built from this file: [[Essay_5000_Unanimous]] · [[Essay_0850_The_Consent_Agenda]] · [[Essay_Killshots_Unanimous]] **Dossier close: 2026-08-10 — one day before the twin primaries.** --- ## EXECUTIVE FRAMEWORK The Convergence File established that Demuth and Hong were compiled from one specification by two party machines. It closed with an instruction: *read the roll calls.* This file is that reading. It is not a sample. It is a **census**. Every recorded floor roll call published by both chambers for both women's entire tenures was retrieved, parsed member-by-member, and cross-checked against the chamber's own stated tally: | Chamber | Span | Roll calls retrieved | Tally mismatches | |---|---|---|---| | Minnesota House of Representatives | 2019–2026, 14 session keys (4 regular + 10 special) | **2,557** | **0** of 2,557 | | Wisconsin State Assembly | 2021–2026, 3 bienniums | **806** | **0** of 806 | | **Combined** | | **3,363** | **0** | Minnesota source: the Chamber Voting System per-bill pages at `https://www.house.mn.gov/Votes/Details?SessionKey={KEY}&BillNumber={BILL}`, indexed at https://www.house.mn.gov/votes/, with every tally cross-checked against the Journal of the Minnesota House at https://www.house.mn.gov/Journals and enactment status against the Revisor at https://www.revisor.mn.gov/. Wisconsin source: the per-vote records at `https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/{year}/related/votes/assembly/av{NNNN}`, indexed at https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/votes/assembly (and the 2021/2023 equivalents), with Act numbers and outcomes from each bill's history page and stated purposes from the Legislative Reference Bureau analysis in each introduced bill text. Party affiliation in Minnesota was assigned from the chamber's own opening-day Speaker-election roll calls (Jan. 8, 2019: Hortman 73 / Daudt 54; Jan. 5, 2021: Hortman 70 / Daudt 57; Jan. 3, 2023: Hortman 70 / **Demuth 63**; Jan. 14, 2025: the 67 Republicans recorded present at the no-quorum session), with gap-fills from the Legislative Reference Library's *Legislators Past & Present*. Validation: the maximum number of members classified Republican voting on any single roll call equals the actual GOP seat count in every biennium (59 / 64 / 64 / 67). ### The Central Finding, Stated Once Across 3,363 recorded roll calls in two chambers over eleven combined years of service: - **454 of them were final-passage votes on which not one member of the chamber voted no.** - **Demuth and Hong voted YES on every single one of the 454.** - **Neither woman has ever been the person who said no when nobody else did.** Demuth: 344 unanimous passage/repassage roll calls in her four bienniums; she is recorded YEA on 333 and not recorded on 11. **Zero nays.** Hong: 121 zero-nay passage/concurrence roll calls in her three bienniums; she is recorded AYE on **all 121**, with no absences. Everything else in this file is the elaboration of that sentence. --- ## PART I — THE UNANIMITY CENSUS ### I-A. Minnesota House, 2019–2026 | Biennium | All roll calls | Unanimous | % | Passage/repassage | Unanimous | % | ≤5 nays | % | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 91st (2019-20, incl. 7 special sessions) | 647 | 110 | 17.0% | 242 | 86 | **35.5%** | 130 | 53.7% | | 92nd (2021-22, incl. 2021 special) | 531 | 47 | 8.9% | 187 | 40 | **21.4%** | 73 | 39.0% | | 93rd (2023-24, DFL trifecta) | 896 | 133 | 14.8% | 267 | 83 | **31.1%** | 90 | 33.7% | | 94th (2025-26, 67-67 tie, Demuth presiding) | 483 | 146 | 30.2% | 296 | 135 | **45.6%** | 184 | 62.2% | | **ALL** | **2,557** | **436** | **17.1%** | **992** | **344** | **34.7%** | **477** | **48.1%** | **More than one in three bills that received a final-passage roll call in the Minnesota House between 2019 and 2026 passed with literally zero nay votes. Nearly half passed with five or fewer.** Unanimity is countercyclical to majority strength. It bottomed at 21.4% of passage votes during the DFL's 70-64 House and peaked at **45.6%** in the tied House Demuth presides over. The tied House produced more unanimous passage votes in two years (135) than the DFL trifecta did (83), on fewer total roll calls. Distribution of nay counts across all 2,557 roll calls: 0 nays → 436; 1 → 55; 2 → 34; 3 → 17; 4 → 19; 5 → 29. Most common unanimous tallies: 134-0 (79 times), 133-0 (58), 132-0 (57), 131-0 (48), 130-0 (42). **How Minnesota records it.** Minn. Const. art. IV, § 22 requires that the vote on every law be "entered in the journal of each house" (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/#article_4). House Rule 2.03 requires a roll call to pass any bill; Rule 2.05 requires every member present to vote unless excused (https://www.house.mn.gov/cco/rules/permrule/203.htm, https://www.house.mn.gov/cco/rules/permrule/205.htm). The 992 passage roll calls are therefore a complete population, not a sample. On a unanimous vote the Journal prints "There were 134 yeas and 0 nays as follows:" and simply omits the "Those who voted in the negative were:" heading. ### I-B. Wisconsin Assembly, 2021–2026 | Session | Passage/concurrence roll calls | 0 nays | % | ≤5 nays | % | ≤10 nays | % | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2021-22 | 175 | 40 | 22.9% | 46 | 26.3% | 48 | 27.4% | | 2023-24 | 150 | 41 | 27.3% | 66 | 44.0% | 73 | 48.7% | | 2025-26 | 200 | 40 | 20.0% | 55 | 27.5% | 77 | 38.5% | | **ALL** | **525** | **121** | **23.0%** | **167** | **31.8%** | **198** | **37.7%** | Eleven roll calls hit a perfect **99-0** — full chamber, no absences, no dissent: AB 255 and SB 780 (2023); AB 182, AB 219, SB 529, AB 786, AB 787, AB 788, AB 685, AB 713, SB 576 (2025). ### I-C. Wisconsin's Shadow Layer — the Voice Vote The Wisconsin roll-call record **understates** unanimity, badly, because most Wisconsin laws never receive a roll call at all. Assembly Rule 76(2)–(3): "Unless a roll call vote is required by the state constitution, by law, or by legislative rule, any question before the assembly may be decided by voice vote… A roll call vote shall be taken… when requested by a member with the support of 15 seconds" (https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/rules/assembly/9/76). Wis. Const. art. IV, § 20 sets the constitutional floor at one-sixth of those present (https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/wisconsinconstitution/IV,20). Acts enacted: 2021 = 267; 2023 = 272; 2025 = 247. A fixed-seed random sample of **40 acts per session (n=120)**, each resolved to its originating bill and its Assembly third-reading line: | Session | Sampled acts | Assembly passed by **voice vote** | Recorded roll call | |---|---|---|---| | 2021-22 | 40 | **34 (85%)** | 6 | | 2023-24 | 40 | **27 (67.5%)** | 13 | | 2025-26 | 40 | **28 (70%)** | 12 | | **Total** | **120** | **89 (74.2%)** | 31 (25.8%) | **Roughly three of every four Wisconsin laws in this period cleared the Assembly without a single member demanding that names be recorded.** That is the operational definition of "nobody wanted to be counted against it." ### I-D. The Filter Upstream of the Floor Wisconsin's unanimity is manufactured before the floor. PolitiFact Wisconsin, relying on two nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau memos, rated **True** Hong's own July 2022 claim: in the 2021-22 session, **76.5% of Republican-authored bills received a public hearing and 1.9% of Democratic-authored bills did** (https://api.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/jul/26/francesca-hong/state-gop-only-let-less-2-democratic-bills). In 2009-10, under Democratic control, the figures were 80.1% D and 39% R. The bills that reach the Assembly floor have already survived a filter that eliminates 98% of the minority's output. Hong documented the filter, got it fact-checked, and then voted aye on 121 of 121 zero-nay bills that came through it. --- ## PART II — WHAT PASSES WITHOUT A NO ### II-A. Minnesota — verified unanimous passage votes, Demuth YEA on all | Bill | Short title | Date | Tally | Enacted | Stated purpose (Journal bill title, verbatim) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | HF148 | Community EMT on basic life support ambulance | 02/21/2019 | 129-0 | 2019 Ch. 42 | "relating to health; permitting a community emergency medical technician to be a member of a basic life support ambulance service; modifying an occupational title of certain emergency medical technicians" | | HF637 | Health-profession license suspensions & background checks | 04/08/2019 | 127-0 | 2019 Ch. 49 | "relating to health; modifying temporary license suspensions and background checks for certain health-related professions" | | HF70 | Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women | 05/09/2019 | 128-0 | died in Senate | "relating to public safety; creating the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women… appropriating money" | | SF973 | U of M advisory council on rare diseases | 05/20/2019 | 133-0 | 2019 Ch. 65 | "requesting the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota to establish an advisory council on rare diseases; appropriating money" | | SF1618 | Capt. Jeffrey Vollmer Memorial Highway | 05/16/2019 | 131-0 | 2019 Ch. 37 | "designating a portion of marked Trunk Highway 25 as Captain Jeffrey Vollmer Memorial Highway" | | **SF3813** | **COVID-19 public health response, $20.9M** | **03/09/2020** | **133-0** | **2020 Ch. 66** | "transferring funds for public health response planning and preparation for coronavirus disease 2019" | | SF3564 | Disaster contingency account transfer | 03/12/2020 | 125-0 | 2020 Ch. 68 | "relating to public safety; transferring money to the disaster contingency account" | | **SF4334** | **$200M public health / health care response fund** | **03/16-17/2020** | **108-0** | **2020 Ch. 70** | "establishing a health care response fund and a provider grant loan program; providing coverage of telemedicine services" | | HF4605 | Local govts may accept documents electronically | 05/12/2020 | 134-0 | 2020 Ch. 92 | "authorizing counties, cities, and townships to accept certain documents or signatures electronically" | | HF4599 | Farmer-Lender Mediation Act timing | 05/13/2020 | 134-0 | 2020 Ch. 97 | "modifying the time period for the Farmer-Lender Mediation Act in 2020" | | HF114 | Judicial deadlines suspended in peacetime emergency | 02/04/2021 | 132-0 | 2021 Ch. 3 | "suspending the expiring of statutory deadlines imposed upon judicial proceedings during a peacetime emergency" | | HF2919 | CPA reinstatement / revocation repeal | 03/21/2022 | 134-0 | 2022 Ch. 72 | "modifying reinstatement provision for accountants; repealing procedures related to the automatic revocation of certain public accountant certificates" | | HF1442 | Minnesota Code of Military Justice | 04/04/2022 | 133-0 | 2022 Ch. 89 | "modifying the Minnesota Code of Military Justice… providing punitive article updates… providing penalties" | | HF3955 | Private detective license requirements | 05/18/2022 | 129-0 | folded/substituted | "relating to private detectives; modifying license requirements" | | HF31 | Federal tax conformity | 01/09/2023 | 132-0 | 2023 Ch. 1 | "providing for certain conformity to federal tax provisions" | | HF26 | Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act money | 01/23/2023 | 134-0 | 2023 Ch. 6 | "appropriating money related to the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" | | HF90 | Board of Public Defense funding | 02/06/2023 | 131-0 | died in Senate Finance | "relating to public defenders; appropriating money for the Board of Public Defense" | | **HF1182** | **Peace officer deadly force standard** | 04/03/2023 | **124-0** | 2023 Ch. 52, art. 10, § 8 | "modifying the grounds required for a peace officer to use deadly force" | | HF463 | Rural Finance Authority bonds | 04/13/2023 | 129-0 | 2023 Ch. 32 | "appropriating money for the Rural Finance Authority; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds" | | HF1937 | Veterans & military affairs finance | 04/18/2023 | 131-0 | 2023 Ch. 38 | "establishing a budget for the Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Veterans Affairs… appropriating money" | | HF124 | Gifts on line-of-duty death of a public safety officer | 03/06/2025 | 132-0 | 2025 Ch. 7 | "allowing for the acceptance of certain gifts related to a line of duty death of a public safety officer" | | HF1443 | State Armory Building Commission debt ceiling | 03/17/2025 | 134-0 | died in Senate | "increasing the maximum bonded indebtedness allowed for the State Armory Building Commission" | | HF854 | Sgt. Joshua A. Schmit Memorial Highway | 04/10/2025 | 134-0 | died in Senate | "designating a segment of marked Trunk Highway 23 in Kandiyohi County as Sergeant Joshua A. Schmit Memorial Highway" | | SF1959 | Omnibus veterans policy & appropriations (conf.) | 05/17/2025 | 130-0 | 2025 Ch. 30 | "…providing benefits to veterans of the Secret War in Laos… appropriating money" | | HF3741 | Educational assistance for veterans' children & spouses | 03/23/2026 | 134-0 | 2026 Ch. 49 | "modifying educational assistance for veterans' children and spouses; appropriating money" | | **HF3516** | **Dentistry licensure, scope of practice, fees** | 04/09/2026 | **134-0** | in Senate HHS | "modifying dentistry profession licensure, registration, scope of practice, continuing education, and disciplinary grounds; establishing fees" | | HF3593 | Officer/Firefighter Gary L. Schroeder, Jr. Memorial Hwy. | 04/20/2026 | 134-0 | 2026 Ch. 62 | "designating a portion of marked Trunk Highway 58 in Zumbrota…" | | **HF3404** | **Impersonating a peace officer — penalties increased** | 04/23/2026 | **134-0** | 2026 Ch. 98 | "increasing criminal penalty for impersonating a peace officer; establishing the crime of impersonating a peace officer while possessing a firearm…" | ### II-B. Wisconsin — verified unanimous passage votes, Hong AYE on all | Bill | Short title | Date | Tally | Act | Stated purpose (LRB analysis, verbatim) | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | SB 3 (2021) | Pharmacy benefit managers; rule-making | 03/16/2021 | 94-0 | 2021 Act 9 | "generally requires pharmacy benefit managers to be licensed with the commissioner of insurance" | | SB 374 (2021) | Statewide urban search and rescue task force | 09/28/2021 | 97-0 | 2021 Act 104 | "changes the team's designation from being a structural collapse team to an urban search and rescue task force" | | SB 449 (2021) | Grants for critical incident mapping to law enforcement | 10/26/2021 | 94-0 | 2021 Act 109 | "requires DOJ to award grants to school districts and private schools… jointly with a local law enforcement agency" | | SB 94 (2021) | Sexual assault kit tracking system | 11/11/2021 | 98-0 | 2021 Act 117 | "requires the Department of Justice to establish a database… the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System" | | SB 491 (2021) | Subsidized guardianship payments | 01/20/2022 | 96-0 | 2021 Act 132 | "requires the Department of Children and Families alone to provide subsidized guardianship payments" | | SB 49 (2021) | Opioid and methamphetamine data system | 02/23/2022 | 96-0 | 2021 Act 181 | "requires the Department of Administration to issue a request for proposals… to establish and maintain an opioid and methamphetamine data system" | | AB 727 (2021) | Nitrogen optimization pilot; cover-crop rebates; **new UW hydrogeologist position** | 02/23/2022 | 96-0 | 2021 Act 223 | "creates a new hydrogeologist position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension" | | AB 314 (2021) | Agricultural and agribusiness export promotion | 10/26/2021 | 95-0 | 2021 Act 92 | export promotion program | | SB 520 (2021) | New juvenile correctional facility, Milwaukee County; $41.79M bonding | 02/24/2022 | 90-0 | 2021 Act 252 | facility authorization and bonding | | **AB 28 (2023)** | **County jailers reclassified as protective occupation participants under WRS** | 03/14/2023 | **96-0** | 2023 Act 4 | "classifies county jailers as protective occupation participants without a requirement that their principal duties involve active law enforcement" | | AB 36 (2023) | Time limit for processing sexual assault kits | 04/18/2023 | 94-0 | 2023 Act 58 | "requires that the state crime laboratories begin processing a kit within five business days of receipt" | | AB 979 (2023) | Human trafficking victim services grants ($2.5M biennially) | 02/15/2024 | 96-0 | **died — Senate failed to concur** | "establishes a grant program, administered by the Department of Justice, that provides grants to nonprofit organizations to provide support services to trafficking victims" | | **AB 255 (2023)** | **Rural pharmacy practice grant program (Higher Educational Aids Board)** | 02/20/2024 | **99-0** | **died — Senate failed to concur** | "establishes a rural pharmacy practice grant program administered by the Higher Educational Aids Board to encourage pharmacists to engage in the practice of pharmacy in medically underserved areas" | | SB 643 (2023) | Expanding graduate medical training grants | 02/22/2024 | 97-0 | 2023 Act 185 | "removes that list but retains the specialty requirement for grant eligibility… removes that $225,000 maximum" | | SB 462 (2023) | Crisis urgent care and observation facilities; rule-making | 02/15/2024 | 97-0 | 2023 Act 249 | "requires the Department of Health Services to establish a certification process for crisis urgent care and observation facilities and a grant program" | | SB 169 (2023) | Hotline for employers hiring people with conviction records | 02/13/2024 | 96-0 | 2023 Act 228 | employer hotline | | AB 940 (2023) | Victim services, domestic abuse services, child advocacy centers | 02/22/2024 | 97-0 | 2023 Act 241 | grant funding increases | | AB 596 / AB 597 (2025) | State matching grants, federal per diem for homeless veterans | 11/19/2025 | 98-0 each | 2025 Acts 153, 154 | "creates a state matching grant program" | | AB 388 (2025) | Grant for an integrated mental health facility | 09/11/2025 | 95-0 | 2025 Act 75 | facility grant program | | SB 264 (2025) | Breast cancer screening coverage (MA and insurance) | 02/19/2026 | 96-0 | 2025 Act 103 | coverage mandate | | SB 810 (2025) | Military funeral honors reimbursement, $50 → $100 | 02/18/2026 | 98-0 | 2025 Act 206 | reimbursement increase | | AB 713 (2025) | Battery stewardship organizations; collection; penalty | 02/17/2026 | **99-0** | 2025 Act 170 | stewardship program | | AB 130 / AB 131 (2025) | PFAS programs, requirements, enforcement | 02/20/2026 | 93-0 each | AB 131 → 2025 Act 201 | PFAS program authority | | AB 957 (2025) | Internet crimes against children law enforcement | 02/19/2026 | 97-0 | 2025 Act 216 | "$400,000 to the Department of Justice in each year of the 2025-27 fiscal biennium for Internet crimes against children law enforcement" | ### II-C. The Taxonomy — what unanimity is *for* Sorting all 454 zero-nay passage roll calls by subject produces six recurring categories and essentially nothing else: 1. **Credentialing and licensure.** Dentistry licensure and fees; private detective licenses; CPA reinstatement; health-profession background checks; community EMT titles; county jailer WRS reclassification; graduate medical training grants; rural pharmacy practice grants; veterinary loan repayment; EMS practitioner certification. 2. **Police, prosecution, and corrections.** Deadly-force standards; impersonating a peace officer; eyewitness identification policies; sexual assault kit tracking and processing deadlines; internet crimes against children funding; critical incident mapping grants; a new juvenile correctional facility. 3. **Veterans and the military.** Veterans finance bills; the Code of Military Justice; armory bonding; educational assistance for veterans' children; military funeral honors; homeless-veteran per diem matching. 4. **Appropriations to institutions that already exist.** Rural Finance Authority bonds; Board of Public Defense; drill core library; federal infrastructure money; disaster contingency; tax conformity. 5. **Boards, councils, task forces, and grant programs — new administrative bodies.** The U of M rare disease council; the MMIW task force; the opioid data system; crisis urgent care certification; battery stewardship; a new UW hydrogeologist position. 6. **Memorial highways and naming resolutions.** **No bill in any of the 454 reduced a license, eliminated a board, shrank an appropriation, or narrowed an agency's jurisdiction.** The ratchet clicks one direction, and it clicks unopposed. --- ## PART III — THE PARTY-LINE CENSUS ### III-A. Minnesota marquee votes, 2023–2026 (Demuth's vote; named cross-party defectors) | Bill | Short title | Date | Tally | Demuth | Strictness | Named defectors | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | **HF5** | Universal school meals | 02/09/2023 | 70-58 | NAY | **STRICT — 0** | — | | HF5 | Senate amendments | 03/16/2023 | 71-54 | NAY | 2 | R: **Engen, Skraba** | | **HF4** | Driver's Licenses for All | 01/30/2023 | 69-60 | NAY | **STRICT — 0** | — | | **HF3** | Democracy for the People (elections) | 04/13/2023 | 70-57 | NAY | **STRICT — 0** | — | | HF1 | PRO Act (reproductive rights) | 01/19/2023 | 69-65 | NAY | 1 | DFL: **Pelowski** | | HF28 | Restore the Vote (felony voting) | 02/02/2023 | 71-59 | NAY | 2 | R: **Myers, Nadeau** | | HF100 | Cannabis legalization | 04/25/2023 | 71-59 | NAY | 3 | R: **Hudella, West**; DFL: **Pelowski** | | HF100 | conference report | 05/18/2023 | 73-57 | NAY | 6 | R: **Garofalo, Hudella, Mueller, Skraba, West**; DFL: **Pelowski** | | HF2 | Paid family and medical leave | 05/02/2023 | 68-64 | NAY | 2 | DFL: **Lislegard, Pelowski** | | **SF2909** | Judiciary/Public Safety omnibus — **the vehicle enacting Minn. Stat. § 624.7172, the red-flag law** | 04/26/2023 | 69-60 | NAY | 1 | DFL: **Lislegard** | | SF2909 | conference report | 05/16/2023 | 69-63 | NAY | 1 | DFL: **Lislegard** | | HF601 | Lost/stolen firearm reporting | 04/29/2024 | 68-63 | NAY | 1 | DFL: **Lislegard** | | HF4300 | Firearm safe storage | 05/02/2024 | 68-64 | NAY | 1 | DFL: **Lislegard** | | SF37 | ERA constitutional amendment | 05/18/2024 | 68-62 | NAY | 2 | DFL: **Lislegard, Pelowski** | | HF16 | Conversion therapy ban | 02/20/2023 | 81-46 | NAY | 11 | R: **Daudt, Engen, Garofalo, Hudella, Mueller, Myers, Nadeau, Neu Brindley, Quam, Skraba, West** | | **HF37** | **CROWN Act** | 01/11/2023 | **111-19** | **YEA** | 19 | all 19 nays Republican — see III-C | | **HF12** | Preserving Girls Sports Act — **PASSAGE** | 03/03/2025 | **66-67, FAILED** | **YEA** | 1 | R: **Niska** (NAY) | | HF12 | Niska motion to reconsider | 03/03/2025 | 67-66, carried | YEA | — | Niska YEA | | HF12 | Niska motion to take from the table | 04/07/2026 | 67-66 | not recorded | — | — | **Only three of the marquee Minnesota votes were strictly party-line with zero defectors on either side: HF5 (school meals), HF4 (driver's licenses), HF3 (elections).** Reps. **Gene Pelowski** and **Dave Lislegard** (both DFL) account for nearly every Democratic crossover in the 93rd Legislature. **Correction to the record used in [[Essay_5000_The_Same_Woman_Twice]]:** HF 12 did not "fail 67-66." Passage on 03/03/2025 was **66 yeas, 67 nays** — the Journal states flatly, "The bill was not passed" — with Demuth voting YEA and Rep. **Harry Niska (R-31A)** voting NAY. Niska then immediately moved reconsideration, which carried 67-66. Voting on the prevailing side is the standard precondition for moving reconsideration; the Journal does not state his reason, and no source does. The 04/07/2026 67-66 vote was a motion to take from the table, not a passage vote, and Demuth is not recorded on it. Sources: https://www.house.mn.gov/Votes/Details?SessionKey=302&BillNumber=HF0012 and https://www.house.mn.gov/cco/journals/2025-26/J0303008.htm. ### III-B. Wisconsin marquee votes, 2021–2026 (Hong's vote; named cross-party defectors) **Transgender-related bills — Hong NO on every one:** | Bill | Date | Tally | Strictness | Defectors | Status | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | AB 195 / AB 196 (2021) — college / K-12 sports by sex | 06/16/2021 | 59-38 each | **STRICT — 0** | — | died | | AB 377 / AB 378 (2023) — K-12 / college sports by sex | 10/12/2023 | 63-35 each | **STRICT — 0** | — | **vetoed 4/2/2024**; override failed | | **AB 100 (2025)** — K-12 sports by sex | 03/20/2025 | **51-43** | near-strict | **1 D aye: Rep. Russell Goodwin (D-Milwaukee, District 12)** — verified against the Assembly Journal aye list, https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/journals/assembly/20250320.pdf, and the member index, https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/legislators/assembly | **vetoed 3/31/2026**; override failed 5/13/2026 | | AB 102 (2025) — college sports by sex | 03/20/2025 | 50-43 | **STRICT — 0** | — | vetoed | | AB 104 (2025) — gender transition care for minors | 03/20/2025 | 50-43 | **STRICT — 0** | — | vetoed | | SB 405 (2025) — civil cause of action | 02/12/2026 | 53-45 | **STRICT — 0** | — | vetoed | **Abortion — Hong NO on every restriction; the only defectors are Republicans:** | Bill | Date | Tally | Defectors | |---|---|---|---| | SB 16 (2021) | 10/27/2021 | 55-38 | **2 R noes: Brandtjen, Wichgers** | | SB 503 (2021) | 10/27/2021 | 55-38 | **2 R noes: Ramthun, Wichgers** | | SB 591 (2021) | 10/27/2021 | 55-39 | **2 R noes: Ramthun, Wichgers** | | SB 593 (2021) | 10/27/2021 | 55-39 | **2 R noes: Ramthun, Wichgers** | | AB 975 (2023) — 14-week permission with referendum | 01/25/2024 | 53-46 | **11 R noes**: Allen, Behnke, Bodden, Brandtjen, Goeben, Gundrum, Magnafici, Maxey, O'Connor, Schraa, Wichgers. All 35 Democrats no | **Elections — near-total strictness:** AB 173 (60-36), SB 203/204/210/212/292 (60-38 each), AR 15 (58-35), SB 936/939/940/941/942 (2022), AJR 133 photo ID (59-36), SJR 101, SJR 73, SJR 78, SJR 2 (54-45), AB 13/14/15 (2025) — **all STRICT, zero defectors, Hong NO on all.** Exceptions: SB 935 (56-38, 3 R noes: Brandtjen, Ramthun, Wichgers); SB 937 (55-39, 4 R noes: Brandtjen, Horlacher, Ramthun, Wichgers); AB 493 (52-45, 10 R noes); AB 617 (53-44, 1 R no: Tittl). **COVID-era power:** SB 183 (2021), legislative oversight of federal COVID funds — **59-36, STRICT, zero defectors, Hong NO**; vetoed 3/29/2021 (https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2021/related/votes/assembly/av0035). **Tax packages:** AB 386 (64-35, STRICT), AB 1020 (62-34, STRICT), AB 1021 (64-32, **2 D ayes: Myers, Shankland**), AB 1022 (62-34, STRICT), SB 291 (2025) child-care business credit (63-31, **9 D ayes**: Billings, Brown, J. Jacobson, Miresse, Palmeri, Rivera-Wagner, Sheehan, Snodgrass, Vining). Hong NO on all. **School choice:** AB 970 (2021), eliminating income and participation limits — 59-34, **1 R no: Kitchens**; Hong NO. AB 900 (2023) — 64-35, **STRICT**; Hong NO. **The one Middle East roll call of the period:** AJR 82 (2023), "condemning the barbaric attack of Hamas against Israel," authored by Rep. Subeck — **95-0, October 12, 2023. Hong voted AYE.** Not voting: **Clancy, Madison, Myers** (D) and Novak (R). On the single roll call where her two closest defection partners abstained, Hong voted with the chamber (https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/related/votes/assembly/av0097). ### III-C. HF 37, the CROWN Act — the 19 nays, named Journal of the Minnesota House, 6th Day, January 11, 2023, p.128 (https://www.house.mn.gov/cco/journals/2023-24/J0111006.htm): > "H. F. No. 37, A bill for an act relating to human rights; adding a definition of race to the Minnesota Human Rights Act; amending Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 363A.03, by adding a subdivision." > "There were 111 yeas and 19 nays as follows." Demuth: **YEA** (verified on the vote page, https://www.house.mn.gov/Votes/Details?SessionKey=300&BillNumber=HF0037). Republicans split 41 yea / 19 nay. DFL 70-0. **All 19 nays were Republicans:** > Burkel · Davis · Dotseth · Fogelman · Franson · Garofalo · Grossell · Heintzeman · Hudson · Joy · Kresha · Mekeland · **Niska** · Schomacker · Schultz · Swedzinski · Torkelson · West · Wiener Note that Niska — the Republican whose lone nay two years later killed and then revived the Preserving Girls Sports Act — is on this list. --- ## PART IV — DEMUTH'S DEFECTION REGISTER **Method:** for each of 2,557 roll calls, compute the majority position of voting Republicans *excluding Demuth*; flag every divergence. Ties excluded (2 instances, both 33-33 in the 94th, Demuth YEA on both). | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Roll calls with Demuth recorded | 2,428 | | Career record | **1,871 YEA / 557 NAY / 129 not recorded** | | **Defections from the R-caucus majority** | **68 (2.80%)** | | By biennium | 91st **15** · 92nd **7** · 93rd **15** · 94th **31** | | By action | final passage/repassage **57** · amendment **6** · procedural **5** | | Direction | YEA against an R "no" majority: **57** · NAY against an R "yes" majority: **11** | | **Defections with no other Republican on her side** | **2** | | **Smallest nay bloc she has ever joined, in eight years** | **11** | | **Smallest yea bloc she has ever joined** | **32** | ### IV-A. The two solo defections — both procedural, both on the two most charged subjects of her career | Date | Bill | Tally | Demuth | R split (excl. her) | DFL | Action | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 02/02/2023 | **HF28 — Restore the Vote** | 70-60 | **YEA** | **0Y / 60N** | 69Y/0N | "Shall the decision of Speaker stand as the judgment of the House?" | | 03/26/2026 | **HF3402 — large-capacity magazine ban** | 68-66 | **YEA** | **0Y / 66N** | 67Y/0N | Bahner motion to reconsider the Tabke motion to recall the bill from committee | Journal, 53rd Day, March 26, 2026 (https://www.house.mn.gov/cco/journals/2025-26/J0326053.htm): the Tabke motion to recall HF3402 failed **66-68** with "Spk. Demuth" printed in the negative list; the Bahner motion to reconsider that failure then carried **68-66**, with the affirmative list running 67 DFL members and ending "**Spk. Demuth**." She voted against the recall and then for reconsidering the vote against the recall. **On the recurrence, the recall motion failed again, 67-67. The bill was not recalled.** The record states no reason for her reconsideration vote and no source supplies one. A presiding officer's reconsideration vote is frequently procedural, and this file does not assert intent. Neither solo defection is a recorded substantive position on the bill. Both are motions. ### IV-B. The three smallest minorities she has ever joined 1. **SF4942 — 70-11 — 05/19/2024** — repassage as amended by Conference, omnibus agriculture/commerce/energy/environment supplemental. Nays: **Bennett, Demuth, Dotseth, Hudson, Mueller, Nadeau, Nash, Novotny, Rarick, Robbins, Urdahl.** (Only 81 of 134 members voted; final night of session.) 2. **HF2204 — 114-13 — 04/13/2023** — Metropolitan Council redistricting. Nays: **Altendorf, Davis, Demuth, Dotseth, Engen, Fogelman, Gillman, Grossell, Murphy, Perryman, Quam, Scott, Torkelson.** 3. **SF4612 — 114-15 — 05/07/2026** — amendment to the omnibus HHS supplemental. Nays: **Backer, Demuth, Dotseth, Fogelman, Harder, Jacob, Koznick, Kresha, Lawrence, Olson, Rarick, Robbins, Schomacker, Swedzinski, Wiener.** ### IV-C. The substantive defections that matter to the dossier | Date | Bill | Tally | Demuth | Subject | Republicans with her | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 05/15/2020 | HF3103 | 92-39 | **YEA** | **Minnesota Human Rights Act race definition added** (the 2020 CROWN predecessor) | Albright, Bennett, Boe, Dettmer, Hamilton, Jurgens, Nash, Nelson N., Neu, O'Driscoll, Pierson, Poston, Robbins, Scott, Theis, Urdahl, West | | 07/20/2020 (2SS) | HF1 | 102-29 | **YEA** | **Police accountability package** — POCA oversight council, duty to report excessive force | 27 Republicans | | 07/20/2020 (2SS) | **HR1** | **82-40** | **YEA** | **"A resolution declaring racism a public health crisis"** | **Boe, Haley, Hamilton, Jurgens, Layman, Urdahl — six** | | 04/14/2020 | HF4556 | 103-31 | YEA | COVID-19 deadlines, temporary emergency authority | 27 Republicans | | 05/09/2020 | SF1098 | 99-33 | YEA | Prescription Drug Pricing Transparency Act | 24 Republicans | | 03/18/2019 | HF400 | 94-34 | YEA | Opiate product registration fee; Opiate Epidemic Response Advisory Council | 18 Republicans | | 04/13/2023 | HF2204 | 114-13 | **NAY** | Metropolitan Council redistricting | 12 Republicans | | 05/09/2024 | HF4984 | 98-25 | **NAY** | **Replacing the Henry Mower Rice statue in National Statuary Hall** | 24 Republicans | | 05/03/2024 | HF4411 | 83-44 | YEA | Elections/campaign finance; **Voting Rights Act cost-sharing account** | 14 Republicans | | 06/09/2025 (Spec.) | HF2, HF3, HF5, HF9, HF14, HF17, SF1, SF2, SF17 | various | YEA on all | **The special-session budget her own caucus majority voted against** | R caucus split roughly in half on each | **The structural fact of the 94th:** 11 of her 31 defections in the tied House are the June 9, 2025 special-session budget bills, where the Republican caucus split and Demuth sat with the smaller half that voted *for* the deal she had negotiated. In a tied chamber the Speaker's own caucus majority repeatedly voted against the budget she signed. ### IV-D. Outcome test **Not one of Demuth's 68 defections changed the outcome of a vote.** The 57 YEA defections joined bills that carried with margins well above her single vote; the 11 NAY defections opposed bills that carried anyway. The two solo defections were on motions that carried 70-60 and 68-66 respectively — both would have carried without her. --- ## PART V — HONG'S DEFECTION REGISTER **Method:** identical — the Assembly Democratic caucus majority position among voting Democrats, per roll call, with Hong's divergences flagged. Not-voting excluded. | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Roll calls with Hong recorded | 799 of 806 | | **Defections from the D-caucus majority** | **59 (7.4%)** | | By session | 2021-22 **4** · 2023-24 **18** · 2025-26 **37** | | Direction | NO against a YES caucus: **57** · YES against a NO caucus: **2** | | By action | final passage/concurrence **54** · amendment or procedural **5** | | **Defections in which she was the only Democrat voting her way** | **0** | | Appearances in a 1–8 nay bloc | **34** — third in the chamber, behind Clancy (43) and Madison (42) | ### V-A. Her companions, ranked Of Hong's 34 near-lone nays, her co-dissenters: **Clancy (30 of 34), Madison (30), Phelps (23), Cruz (16), Moore Omokunde (12), Tenorio (11).** These are the members publicly identified with the Wisconsin Legislative Socialist Caucus, plus Cruz. The 2025-26 session accounts for 37 of her 59 defections — the session in which the Socialist Caucus grew from two members to a bloc. ### V-B. The cleanest considered near-lone nays | Bill | Subject | Date | Tally | Democrats voting no with her | Act | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | SB 271 (2023) | Commercial driver training grant program | 02/13/2024 | **93-3** | Clancy, Madison | 2023 Act 153 | | SB 789 (2023) | **Fees for redacting police video in records requests** | 02/15/2024 | **94-3** | Clancy, Madison | 2023 Act 253 | | AB 1023 (2023) | **Expanding the child and dependent care credit** | 02/13/2024 | **92-4** | Clancy, Madison, Moore Omokunde | 2023 Act 101 | | SJR 81 (2023) | **Victims of Communism Memorial Day** | 11/07/2023 | **95-4** | Clancy, Madison, Moore Omokunde | joint res. | | AB 619 (2025) | Aviation biofuel manufacturing credit | 02/17/2026 | 94-5 | Clancy, Madison, Moore Omokunde, Phelps | 2025 Act 164 | | **AB 789 (2025)** | **Ratifying the 2025-27 state law enforcement union contract** | 01/13/2026 | **94-5** | Clancy, Madison, Phelps, Tenorio | 2025 Act 87 | | **AB 677 (2025)** | **Creating the crime of grooming a child for sexual activity** | 01/13/2026 | **93-6** | Clancy, Cruz, Madison, Phelps, Tenorio | 2025 Act 88 | | SB 182 (2025) | EMS education; tuition reimbursement; live 911 pilot | 10/14/2025 | 90-6 | Cruz, Hysell, Madison, Phelps, Tenorio | 2025 Act 35 | | SB 501 (2025) | **Rural veterinary loan repayment grant program** | 02/19/2026 | 89-7 | Clancy, Cruz, Kirsch, Madison, Phelps, Sinicki | 2025 Act 177 | | AB 668 (2025) | Competency reports by an APRN | 01/22/2026 | 90-7 | Clancy, DeSmidt, Madison, McGuire, Moore Omokunde, Phelps | 2025 Act 123 | | SB 533 (2025) | Intentionally disarming a correctional officer | 01/20/2026 | 81-15 | 14 Democrats | 2025 Act 244 | | SB 485 (2025) | Video monitoring in residential care centers | 02/17/2026 | 79-20 | 19 Democrats | 2025 Act 184 | Verified independently for AB 677: Wisconsin Examiner, January 14, 2026 (https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/01/14/assembly-passes-constitutional-amendment-child-grooming-proposals/) names the six as Clancy, Cruz, Hong, Phelps, Tenorio and reports Rep. Phelps's stated reason: **"Creating redundant crimes to advance a political agenda doesn't make anyone safer; it just pads the statute books, locks more people in our failed carceral system, and ignores real solutions like prevention and survivor services."** No comparable statement from Hong on this vote exists in any source located. ### V-C. AB 298 — the one time she was nearly alone, and took it back **AB 298 (2023), polling place closures. November 9, 2023. Passed 95-2. The two nays: C. Anderson (D-Beloit) and Hong.** It is the thinnest company of her career (https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/related/votes/assembly/av0120). The Assembly Journal for that day, page 446 (https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2023/related/journals/assembly/20231109.pdf), prints in reading order: > "Noes – Representatives C. Anderson and Hong – 2. > Absent or not voting – Representatives Donovan and Sapik – 2. > Motion carried. > **Representative Hong asked unanimous consent to be recorded as voting 'Aye' on the previous question. Granted.**" The tally of record was never amended: the vote page and the bill history still read 95-2 with Hong a nay. But the Journal preserves her immediate request to be recorded the other way. A systematic check of all 47 Assembly Journal dates on which Hong cast a near-lone nay or voted in a zero-nay roll call found **123 "asked unanimous consent to be recorded as voting" entries** by all members combined. **Exactly one involves Hong: this one.** Five land on bills in her 34-vote near-lone-nay list (S. Rodriguez on AB 991; Stubbs on AB 49; **Hong on AB 298**; Miresse on AB 812; Mayadev on AB 1004). The remaining 29 of her near-lone nays carry no correction entry. **Caveat, stated because the file states its own limits:** the Journal's correction line does not name the bill, and the two-column PDF layout leaves residual ambiguity about which question "the previous question" refers to. The nearest preceding question is AB 298's passage. What is not ambiguous: the official tally stayed 95-2 with Hong recorded a nay, on both the vote record and the bill history. ### V-D. The two defections in the other direction — both 2021, both instructive | Bill | Subject | Date | Tally | Democratic ayes | Fate | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | **AB 242 (2021)** | **Sales tax holiday for brewpubs, taverns, restaurants, theaters, arcades** | 04/13/2021 | 62-32 | **7 of 37**: Andraca, Baldeh, Doyle, **Hong**, S. Rodriguez, Subeck, Vining | died | | **SB 454 (2021)** | Three-tiered early literacy screening replacing reading readiness assessments | 10/26/2021 | 62-32 | **3 of 35**: **Drake, Hong, Myers** | **vetoed by Gov. Evers 11/5/2021**; override failed | AB 242 is Hong's own industry: she co-owned Morris Ramen in Madison, and the exemption is written to cover taverns, restaurants, and brewpubs. She voted for it against 30 of her 37 voting caucus colleagues. Related: on **AB 2 (2021)** — the COVID-era Department of Revenue tax bill including PPP loan treatment — Hong invoked **Assembly Rule 77** and asked unanimous consent to be excused from voting on amendments and passage, granted, February 16, 2021. She is recorded Not Voting on all four AB 2 roll calls. **It is the only Rule 77 recusal of her six years.** ### V-E. The budget votes | Session | Vehicle | Date | Tally | Hong | D split | R split | Enacted | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2021-23 | AB 68 | 06/29/2021 | 64-34 | **NO** | 4Y / 34N | 60Y / 0N | 2021 Act 58 | | 2023-25 | SB 70 | 06/29/2023 | 63-34 | **NO** | **0Y / 34N** | 63Y / 0N | 2023 Act 19 | | 2025-27 | SB 45 | 07/03/2025 | 59-39 | **NO** | 7Y / 38N | 52Y / **1N** | 2025 Act 15 | **Correction to a common framing:** on the 2025 budget Hong was **not** breaking with her caucus. The Assembly Democratic caucus voted 7 yes / 38 no; Hong was one of the 38. **The Democrats who broke ranks were the seven who voted yes** for a budget their own governor negotiated: **Billings, Doyle, Emerson, T. Johnson, McCarville, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri.** The lone Republican no was **Allen**. Verified against Wisconsin Examiner, July 3, 2025 (https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/07/03/evers-signs-compromise-budget-quickly-after-wisconsin-legislature-gives-final-ok/). The Legislative Socialist Caucus — Clancy, Madison, Phelps, and Hong — issued the joint statement: **"This is not a compromise, this is capitulation,"** calling the agreement a **"catastrophic failure of leadership that surrenders to Republican austerity."** Across all three budgets, Hong voted no on **every** recorded motion to table a Democratic budget amendment — 45 roll calls, zero defections, always with the full caucus. ### V-F. 2023 Act 12 — shared revenue and the Milwaukee sales tax Vehicle: **2023 Assembly Bill 245 → 2023 Wisconsin Act 12**, enacted June 20, 2023. The Milwaukee city sales tax, county sales tax, and pension provisions are inside AB 245 itself; there is no separate companion. LRB purpose: "This bill modifies shared revenue programs, addresses the retirement systems of the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County, eliminates the personal property tax…" | Question | Date | Tally | Hong | D split | Republicans voting no | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Motion to refer to committee | 05/17/2023 | 34-57 failed | **AYE** | 34Y/0N | — | | Table ASA 2 (Neubauer) | 05/17/2023 | 57-34 | NO | 0Y/34N | — | | Table ASA 1 (Neubauer) | 05/17/2023 | 57-34 | NO | 0Y/34N | — | | **PASSAGE** | 05/17/2023 | **56-36** | **NO** | **0Y/33N** | **Allen, Brandtjen, Wichgers** | | Table AA 1 to SA 1 | 06/14/2023 | 60-34 | NO | 0Y/34N | — | | **CONCURRENCE as amended** | 06/14/2023 | **68-26** | **NO** | **13Y/21N** | **Bodden, Brandtjen, Michalski, J. Rodriguez, Wichgers** | The 13 Democrats voting yes on final concurrence: C. Anderson, Andraca, Billings, Doyle, Haywood, McGuire, Ohnstad, Ortiz-Velez, Palmeri, Shankland, Sinicki, Snodgrass, Stubbs. Hong was with the 21-member majority — so **Act 12 is not a defection**; the caucus majority was with her. Hong's retrospective statement, from her 2026 campaign policy page (https://francescahong.com/policy/cities-towns-and-transit/): **"Act 12, a Republican policy, entrenched a conflict between state and local governments by establishing unreasonable state power over how cities and towns can raise and spend money."** And: **"it's no coincidence that Republicans have funneled money to areas where they get more votes, using revenue as a tool to punish Democratic voters and people of color."** ### V-G. The reversal | Bill | Subject | Date | Tally | Hong | |---|---|---|---|---| | SB 871 (2021) | Ratifying the state public-safety collective bargaining contract | 2021-22 | 92-0 | **AYE** | | SB 554 (2023) | Same, 2023-25 biennium | 2023-24 | 95-3 (noes: Clancy, Drake, Madison) | **AYE** | | **AB 789 (2025)** | Same, 2025-27 biennium | 01/13/2026 | 94-5 | **NO** | Hong voted to ratify the state law-enforcement union contract twice, including once when three of her closest allies voted against it, and then voted against ratification in the session before her gubernatorial primary. ### V-H. Outcome test **Not one of Hong's 59 defections changed the outcome of a vote.** Her 34 near-lone nays were cast on bills passing by margins of 79-20 or wider. Her two lone-ish ayes were cast on a bill that died and a bill the governor of her own party vetoed. --- ## PART VI — THE COMPLEMENTARY YAYS AND NAYS Who actually occupies the dissent column in each chamber. ### VI-A. Minnesota — the single-digit dissenters, 2019–2026 Appearances in a 1–5 nay bloc, across 133 such roll calls: | Member | Appearances | Affiliation | |---|---|---| | **Bahr** | 37 | R-East Bethel — New House Republican Caucus | | **Drazkowski** | 29 | R-Mazeppa — NHRC leader | | **Roach** | 27 | R, 58B (2025-26) | | **Munson** | 26 | R-Lake Crystal — NHRC | | **Mortensen** | 24 | R-Shakopee — NHRC from 2021 | | Fogelman | 11 | R, 21B | | Mekeland | 9 | R, 27A | | Gordon | 9 | R, 28A | | Murphy | 9 | R, 09B | | Miller | 5 | R-Prinsburg — NHRC | In five of eight years, near-unanimous dissent in the Minnesota House is a **named, stable, single-digit faction** — the New House Republican Caucus (2019-2022, roster at https://www.house.mn.gov/Caucus/View/NR/43789), then Rep. Roach alone (2025-26). Not a rotating cast. A standing minority of the minority. **Demuth appears in this table zero times.** ### VI-B. The four nays on the $330.6 million COVID package **HF4531, March 26, 2020, passed 99-4** under a declaration of urgency, introduced and passed the same day. Journal, 76th Day, p.7108: "Those who voted in the negative were: **Bahr / Drazkowski / Miller / Munson**." Those four names are the entire membership of the New House Republican Caucus at that date. Demuth voted YEA. Her press release the same day (https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/42898): **"It was good to see the House come together to help Minnesotans… I am proud of how well we worked together to get this done."** Six weeks later, and eight more times over the following fourteen months, Demuth voted with a unanimous Republican bloc to terminate the peacetime emergency under which that same money was being spent. All nine motions failed: | Date | Vehicle | Tally | |---|---|---| | 04/28/2020 | HC10 | 59-73 | | 06/12/2020 | HC2 | 61-73 | | 08/12/2020 | HC1 | 61-71 | | 09/11/2020 | HC1 | 64-67 | | 10/12/2020 | HC1 | 64-69 | | 11/12/2020 | HF19 | 60-73 | | 12/14/2020 | HC1 | 62-63 | | 02/11/2021 | HF1051 | 64-70 | | 06/14/2021 | HC1 | 64-68 | Her stated reason, July 14, 2020 (https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/43409): **"The question is whether Minnesotans want one person – the governor – making unilateral decisions… or should all 201 legislators be participating in the process?"** The same release notes: **"Tuesday's House move fell mainly on party lines."** ### VI-C. Wisconsin — the single-digit dissenters, 2021–2026 Appearances in a 1–8 nay bloc, across 78 such roll calls: | Member | Appearances | Affiliation | |---|---|---| | **Clancy** | 43 | D-Milwaukee — Socialist Caucus founder | | **Madison** | 42 | D-Milwaukee — Socialist Caucus founder | | **Hong** | **34** | D-Madison — Socialist Caucus | | Phelps | 25 | D-Eau Claire — Socialist Caucus | | Cruz | 18 | D-Racine | | Moore Omokunde | 14 | D-Milwaukee | | Tenorio | 12 | D-West Allis | | Wichgers | 10 | R-Muskego | | Allen | 9 | R-Waukesha | | Sortwell | 9 | R-Two Rivers | **Sole-nay roll calls not involving Hong**, for contrast — these are the members who vote alone: - AB 4 (2021), pharmacy technicians administering vaccines, **90-1**, sole nay **Wichgers (R)** - AB 23 (2025), palliative care council, **96-1**, sole nay **Wichgers (R)** - AB 109 (2023), personal financial literacy graduation requirement, **95-1**, sole nay **Clancy (D)** - SB 787 (2023), City of Evansville TID #10, **98-1**, sole nay **Madison (D)** - AB 1034 (2025), NIL for UW athletics, **95-1**, sole nay **Knodl (R)** **Neither Demuth nor Hong has ever cast a sole nay.** ### VI-D. Unanimity in the Assembly does not mean enactment Bills that received zero recorded opposition in the Wisconsin Assembly and died anyway, all killed by Senate inaction at sine die: - **AB 255 (2023)**, rural pharmacy practice grants — **99-0**, a perfect chamber - **AB 979 (2023)**, human trafficking victim services grants — 96-0 - **AB 102 (2023)**, veterans property tax credit threshold — 96-0 - **AB 161 (2021)**, disabled-veteran DNR fee threshold — 96-0 - AB 1027 (2023), truancy reduction grants — 98-0 - AB 1086 (2023), hospital/nursing-home MA supplemental payments — 96-0 - AB 185 (2025), nonprofit theater property tax exemption — 97-0 - AB 240 (2025), search-and-rescue-dog equipment exemption — 97-0 - AB 970 (2025), community EMS grants — 97-0 Unanimity is not power. It is the absence of friction. --- ## PART VII — THE UNANIMOUS-THEN-PARTISAN PAIRS The same bill number, at two stages, producing opposite roll calls. This is the file's proof that the party-line vote is not a function of a bill's content. ### VII-A. The cleanest example in the entire dataset **HF1370 (2023) — deep-fake sexual images: civil cause of action and criminal penalty.** | Date | Action | Tally | R split | Demuth | |---|---|---|---|---| | 03/30/2023 | Passage | **127-0** | unanimous | **YEA** | | 05/12/2023 | Conference report | **71-57** | **1Y / 57N** | **NAY** | | 05/16/2023 | Second conference report | **131-0** | unanimous | **YEA** | Unanimous → strict party-line → unanimous. One bill number. Seven weeks. https://www.house.mn.gov/Votes/Details?SessionKey=300&BillNumber=HF1370 ### VII-B. HF447 — one number, two different bills | Date | Action | Tally | R split | Demuth | What the House actually voted on | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 04/26/2023 | Passage (2nd Engrossment) | **70-57** | **0Y / 57N** | **NAY** | "relating to civil law; amending certain policy provisions related to forfeiture, name change, property, survival of cause of action after death, mediation for debtors owning agricultural property, State Board of Public Defense, construction contracts, **civil rights, gender identity**, data, notaries public, and health care incident open discussion" | | 05/22/2023 | Senate-amendment repassage (3rd Engrossment) | **132-0** | unanimous | **YEA** | "relating to legislative enactments; **correcting miscellaneous oversights, inconsistencies, ambiguities, unintended results, and technical errors**" — enacted as 2023 Minn. Laws ch. 73 | **Correction issued in draft, logged here rather than buried.** An earlier version of this file described the 70-57 roll call as a party-line vote on the Revisor's technical-corrections bill. That is wrong. The corrections title attaches only to the version that passed 132-0; on April 26 the House was voting on a contested civil-law policy package. What HF447 actually demonstrates is the vehicle problem — a civil-rights-and-gender-identity policy bill and a technical-corrections act traveling under one number, three and a half weeks apart, producing a strict party-line vote and a unanimous one. Sources: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF0447&ssn=0&y=2023 · https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/Session+Law/Chapter/73/ ### VII-C. Other verified pairs | Bill | Party-line stage | Unanimous stage | |---|---|---| | SF4399 (2024) — Human Services policy | 69-62, R 0Y/61N, Demuth NAY | 126-0 conf., Demuth YEA | | SF4579 (2024) — single-metered utility service | 82-44, Demuth NAY | 125-0 conf., Demuth YEA | | HF4247 (2024) — health-occupation licensure omnibus | 92-37, R 24Y/37N, **Demuth YEA against her caucus** | 130-0 conf., Demuth YEA | | HF2353 (2022) — education data | 75-57, R 6Y/57N, Demuth NAY | **134-0** repassage, Demuth YEA | | HF1733 (2019) — agriculture policy | 81-49, R 7Y/49N, Demuth NAY | 131-0 conf., Demuth YEA | | HF1952 (2021) — state government finance | 68-62 party-line, Demuth NAY | 133-1 (sole nay Mortensen), Demuth YEA | ### VII-D. Unanimous out, contested back — and a methodological warning | Bill | Out of the House | Back | What changed | |---|---|---|---| | **HF729 (2021)** | **134-0** on a bill titled "*providing for a new name for an advisory council*" | **107-25** — R **63Y/0N**, **DFL 44Y/25N**, Demuth YEA | The Senate amendment converted a council-renaming shell into the civil-unrest / "SAFE Account" funding bill, 2021 Ch. 13. **All 25 nays were DFL. Not one Republican voted no.** | | **HF3825 (2026)** | **134-0** on a crime-victim-notification bill | **123-10**, Demuth YEA | The Senate amendment replaced it with the health-occupations licensure omnibus; enacted as 2026 Ch. 115 | | HF1126 (2023) | 127-0 | 120-8, Demuth YEA | higher-ed institutional licensure | **Warning for anyone building claims off house.mn.gov vote pages:** the short description shown on a vote page is the bill's **current** description, not its description on the day of the roll call. HF729 and HF3825 both display final-version descriptions that do not match what the House actually voted 134-0 on, as printed in that day's Journal. Always cross-check the Journal title. --- ## PART VIII — STATED PURPOSES, IN THEIR OWN WORDS ### VIII-A. Demuth | Subject | Quote | Source | Date | |---|---|---|---| | The $330.6M COVID package (99-4) | "It was good to see the House come together to help Minnesotans… **I am proud of how well we worked together to get this done.**" | https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/42898 | 03/26/2020 | | COVID workers' comp presumption (130-4) | "We can't wait for a pile of denied COVID-19 claims to accumulate before we act." Release notes the bill was "a compromise agreement made by legislators from all four House and Senate caucuses" and "approved unanimously" by the Workers Compensation Advisory Council. | https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/42967 | 04/07/2020 | | Peacetime emergency terminations (9 failed party-line motions) | "should all 201 legislators be participating in the process?" | https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/43409 | 07/14/2020 | | HF12 girls' sports | "This bill upholds family values rather than catering to extreme activist agendas." | https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/50258 | 03/04/2025 | | HF12, second attempt | "We heard during debate today that biology is not real." | https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/51850 | 04/08/2026 | | The DFL trifecta | "**It has been proven one-party control is bad for Minnesotans.**" … and, in the same release: "**in the end they all serve as examples of good work that can be accomplished when partisanship is set aside**" | https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/49644 | 05/21/2024 | | The tied House | "**We delivered really good things working together in a tie.** … **Were all of these things we would have done as a caucus? No. Is this work over the last two years good for Minnesota? Absolutely.**" | https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/19201 | 05/18/2026 | | The 2025 special-session budget (11 defections from her caucus) | "we accomplished these headline victories even without a true Republican majority at the Capitol" | https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498/50903 | 06/11/2025 | **No statement from Demuth explaining any individual defection was located** — not on HF3103 (MHRA race definition), HR1 (racism as a public health crisis), HF37 (CROWN Act), HF2204 (Met Council redistricting), HF4984 (the Rice statue), or HF3402 (the magazine-ban reconsideration). Her press operation issues releases on caucus priorities. It does not narrate her crossovers. ### VIII-B. Hong | Subject | Quote | Source | Date | |---|---|---|---| | Brewers stadium (sole committee no; floor defection) | "**My 'no' vote is the fact that this is a public investment and the return can be greater for the public.**" | https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/10/16/assembly-to-vote-tuesday-on-modified-brewers-stadium-deal/ | 10/16/2023 | | The 2025-27 budget | Socialist Caucus joint statement: "**This is not a compromise, this is capitulation**" — a "**catastrophic failure of leadership that surrenders to Republican austerity**" | https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/07/03/evers-signs-compromise-budget-quickly-after-wisconsin-legislature-gives-final-ok/ | 07/03/2025 | | 2023 Act 12 | "Act 12, a Republican policy, entrenched a conflict between state and local governments by establishing unreasonable state power over how cities and towns can raise and spend money." | https://francescahong.com/policy/cities-towns-and-transit/ | 2026 campaign | | The hearing filter | "more than 75% of GOP bills received a public hearing… less than 2% of Democratic bills" — **rated True** | https://api.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/jul/26/francesca-hong/state-gop-only-let-less-2-democratic-bills | 07/26/2022 | | Public safety | "**I am serious about public safety, and if we are not tough on causes we cannot be tough on crime.**" | https://www.wpr.org/news/francesca-hong-democratic-primary-campaign-governor-2026 | 07/28/2026 | | Democratic socialism | "The majority of people reject the notion that they should sacrifice and struggle so that corporations and billionaires can make more money." | https://captimes.com/opinion/john-nichols/opinion-wisconsin-s-legislature-has-a-growing-socialist-caucus/article_2fe2b8f2-dd05-11ef-9c34-43e8c9aa3c5d.html | 01/28/2025 | **Recorded acts that function as stated reasons.** Committee on State Affairs, AB 438 (Brewers stadium), reported October 12, 2023: Amendment 1 adopted 14-0 with Hong among the ayes; **passage as amended 13-1 — "Noes: 1 – Representative Hong."** Same pattern on AB 439. Committee on State Affairs, AB 837 (police video redaction fees), reported February 13, 2024: three roll calls, **Hong the sole no on all three**, then a floor no on the companion SB 789 (94-3). These are considered positions, taken twice, in two forums. **No explanation was located** — despite targeted searching of Wisconsin Examiner, Cap Times, WPR, WisPolitics, Urban Milwaukee, Isthmus, and national outlets — for any of: SJR 81 (Victims of Communism), SB 271 (commercial driver training), AB 1023 (child and dependent care credit), AB 677 (grooming), AB 789 (police contract), SB 501 (rural veterinarians), SB 182 (EMS education), or AB 298 (polling place closures). Wisconsin Assembly Journals do not transcribe floor debate; a search of all 47 downloaded journals for "Representative Hong" returned seven hits, all procedural. --- ## PART IX — NEGATIVE RESULTS, LIMITS, AND CORRECTIONS This file publishes its misses. That is what distinguishes a census from a case. ### IX-A. Corrections to prior dossier files 1. **HF 12 did not "fail 67-66."** Passage failed **66-67** on 03/03/2025; the 67-66 was Niska's reconsideration motion, which carried. The 04/07/2026 67-66 was a motion to take from the table, and Demuth is not recorded on it. [[Essay_5000_The_Same_Woman_Twice]] footnote 28 should be amended. 2. **The 2025 Wisconsin budget was not a Hong break with her caucus.** The caucus voted 7-38 against; she was with the 38. The defectors were the seven Democrats who voted yes. 3. **2023 Act 12 was not a Hong defection.** On final concurrence the Democratic caucus split 13-21 and she was with the 21-member majority. Her two no votes are verified; the "against her caucus" framing is not. 4. **HF447 is a vehicle case, not a "typo bill passed on party lines" case.** See Part VII-B. The corrections title belongs to the 132-0 version only. 5. **The lone Democratic aye on Wisconsin's 2025 AB 100 is Rep. Russell Goodwin (D-Milwaukee).** A draft of this file gave the first name as "Angelina." There is exactly one Goodwin in the 2025-26 Assembly, and it is Russell. See Part III-B. 6. **HF3402:** reconsideration of the recall vote carried 68-66; the recall itself then failed 67-67 on the recurrence. Reconsidering a vote is not recalling a bill. ### IX-B. What could not be verified - **Motive on any of the four most interesting procedural votes**: Niska's nay on HF12 passage; Demuth's yea on the HF3402 reconsideration; Hong's unanimous-consent request on AB 298; Hong's 2026 reversal on the police union contract. Each is consistent with an innocent parliamentary explanation. No source states any of them. **This file does not assert intent.** - **Which question "the previous question" refers to** in the AB 298 Journal correction line. The nearest preceding question is AB 298's passage; the Journal does not name it. - **The contents of Hong's official press releases.** Every entry on https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/76/hong/news-updates/news-updates/ links to an X/Twitter status URL. Titles and target URLs verified; text not retrievable. - **Party affiliations for a set of 2019-2022 Minnesota members** who appear in near-unanimous nay lists but not in a Journal caucus roster or the NHRC releases. Names are given exactly as the Journal prints them; parties are not assigned to them. - **Pre-2019 Minnesota and pre-2021 Wisconsin baselines.** The unanimity rates and the 2.80% / 7.4% defection rates have no pre-tenure comparison in this dataset, and no other member's defection rate was computed. Neither figure can yet be called high or low. - **Senate-side roll calls** in either state. Out of scope. - **Wisconsin voice-vote share** is a fixed-seed sample estimate (89 of 120 acts), not a census. No confidence interval computed. - **No published quantitative study of unanimity rates in either legislature was located.** The tables in Part I appear to be original. Majority in the Middle's Minnesota work (https://www.majoritymiddle.org/state-of-bipartisanship-2026) measures bill *authorship*, not roll calls, and explicitly notes that its "hidden bipartisanship" is "not reflected in the outcome of large omnibus bills when final votes fall along party lines." ### IX-C. The one asymmetry the file will not smooth over Hong appears in a 1–8-nay bloc **34 times**. Demuth appears in a 1–5-nay bloc **zero times** and has never joined a nay bloc smaller than eleven. On the raw metric of visible dissent, these two records are not the same, and this file does not claim they are. What the records *do* share is the property that makes dissent free: **neither woman has ever cast a vote alone, and neither has ever cast a vote that changed an outcome.** Hong's dissent is loud and costless — 34 nays on bills passing 90-6. Demuth's is silent and costless — 57 of 68 defections are yes votes joining bills that were carrying anyway. Both dissent exclusively in company. Both dissent exclusively when it cannot matter. The style is a party dialect. The function is identical. --- ## PART X — SOURCE BIBLIOGRAPHY **Minnesota primary** - Chamber Voting System index — https://www.house.mn.gov/votes/ - Journal of the Minnesota House — https://www.house.mn.gov/Journals - House Rules 2.03, 2.05 — https://www.house.mn.gov/cco/rules/permrule/203.htm · https://www.house.mn.gov/cco/rules/permrule/205.htm - Minnesota Constitution art. IV, § 22 — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/#article_4 - Office of the Revisor of Statutes — https://www.revisor.mn.gov/ - Demuth member profile and press releases — https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/15498 · https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/news/15498 - New House Republican Caucus roster — https://www.house.mn.gov/Caucus/View/NR/43789 - Session Daily — https://www.house.mn.gov/SessionDaily/ - Legislative Reference Library, Legislators Past & Present — https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/ **Wisconsin primary** - Assembly vote records — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/votes/assembly (and /2023/, /2021/) - Assembly Journals — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/journals/assembly/ - Assembly Rules 76, 77 — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/rules/assembly/9/76 · https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2021/related/rules/assembly/9/77 - Wisconsin Constitution art. IV, § 20 — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/wisconsinconstitution/IV,20 - Acts index — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/related/acts - Hong member page — https://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/76/hong - Blue Book 2025-26, State Legislators — https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lrb/blue_book/2025_2026/030_state_legislators.pdf **Named-reporter secondary (used for corroboration only)** - Wisconsin Watch, 02/21/2026 — https://wisconsinwatch.org/2026/02/wisconsin-assembly-legislature-what-lawmakers-did-and-what-is-unfinished/ - Wisconsin Examiner, 01/14/2026 (AB 677) — https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/01/14/assembly-passes-constitutional-amendment-child-grooming-proposals/ - Wisconsin Examiner, 07/03/2025 (budget) — https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/07/03/evers-signs-compromise-budget-quickly-after-wisconsin-legislature-gives-final-ok/ - Wisconsin Examiner, 10/08/2025 and 10/15/2025 (Assembly floor practice) - PolitiFact Wisconsin, 07/26/2022 — https://api.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/jul/26/francesca-hong/state-gop-only-let-less-2-democratic-bills - MinnPost, 06/21/2024 (Majority in the Middle) — https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2024/06/bipartisanship-report-recommends-minnesota-legislature-reduce-floor-debates-improve-balance-on-committees/ --- *Dossier close 2026-08-10. Built from the full published roll-call record of both chambers. Feeds [[Essay_5000_Unanimous]], [[Essay_0850_The_Consent_Agenda]], [[Essay_Killshots_Unanimous]]. Cross-links: [[Demuth_hub]], [[Hong_hub]], [[Hong_Demuth_Convergence]], [[Essay_5000_The_Same_Woman_Twice]].* #Actors_and_Architects