CQ Voting Studies are an annual analysis of a member's support or opposition to a given position. Interest Group Ratings are based on rankings from groups chosen to represent liberal, conservative, business and labor viewpoints.Voting Participation scores are based on the number of times a member voted "yea" or "nay" on roll call votes (not including quorum calls in the House). CQ Vote Studies Year Presidential Support Party Unity   S* O* S O 1998 20% 79% 89% 10% 1997 25 73 93 6 1996 37 61 92 7 1995 17 80 95 3 1994 44 56 91 6 1993 33 67 96 3 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 99 1997 99 1996 98 1995 98 1994 96 1993 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 5% n/a 89% 84 % 1997 0 13 90 96 1996 5 9 94 95 1995 0 0 100 92 1994 15 22 82 95 1993 0 0 100 100
Note on Interest Groups: ADA=Americans for Democratic Action; AFL-CIO=American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations; CCUS=Chamber of Commerce of the United States; ACU=American Conservative Union

ALABAMA 6 : Part of Birmingham and suburbs

Alabama's smallest but most prosperous district, the 6th is a combination of the whiter and wealthier portions of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa and their suburbs. Rural life still dots the district, but fields and forests are steadily turning into malls. Birmingham's success beginning in the 1980s started with a shift from steel to white-collar business. Banks and medical facilities have made the city a hub for the deep South. Although more than two-thirds of Birmingham's population is in the neighboring 7th, commuters from suburbs in the 6th enjoy most of the city's wealth.

Tuscaloosa, a medium-size city, is starting to feel the effects of Birmingham's expansion. A new Mercedes plant joins the city's chemical and rubber makers. But the city's signature undoubtedly is U. of Alabama football, which attracts fanatics statewide to watch the "Crimson Tide."

A 1992 redistricting that created the overwhelmingly Democratic, black-majority 7th yielded an equally solid and swelling Republican constituency in the 6th. Congressional and presidential elections since redistricting have favored GOP candidates by an average margin of almost 40 percent. The contrast between the 6th and 7th can lead to conflict, particularly when funds for infrastructure are at stake. Universities in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa account for most of the district's few Democratic votes.

Major Industry
Banking, manufacturing, higher education

Population
577,170 (1990)

Cities
Birmingham (pt.), 82,554 (1990); Hoover, 55,464 (1997); Tuscaloosa (pt.), 36,622 (1990)

People
74% urban; 12% age 65+ (ranks sixth of seven in state; middle third nationally); 61% married couples, 28% married couples with children; 26% college educated (ranks first of seven in state; top third nationally); 69% white collar (ranks first of seven in state; top third nationally), 21% blue collar (ranks seventh of seven in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
90% white, 9% black, 1% Asian; 1% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$31,864 (ranks first of seven in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
A 55-foot cast-iron statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking, in Birmingham is one of the world's largest iron figures; Television and movie actress Courteney Cox is from Birmingham suburb Mountain Brook.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company