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 65% 21% 72% 8% 1997 65 32 84 13 1996 67 27 78 16 1995 53 41 65 31 1994 69 23 78 15 1993 79 21 84 15 1992 27 72 87 10 1991 31 68 93 6 1990 27 72 92 7 S=Support; O=Oppose
Voting Participation Year % 1998 83 1997 97 1996 93 1995 95 1994 93 1993 98 1992 95 1991 99 1990 99	Interest Groups Year ADA AFL-CIO CCUS ACU 1998 75% n/a 23% 21 % 1997 80 100 30 26 1996 60 89 33 22 1995 60 83 52 44 1994 55 63 60 42 1993 60 100 18 21 1992 90 91 38 13 1991 80 100 10 10 1990 78 92 21 21
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

NEW YORK 21 : Capital District - Albany; Schenectady; Troy

As the terminus of the Erie Canal, which connects the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, New York's Capital District was one of the state's earliest industrial centers. Blue-collar workers and state employees give the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area a substantial union population and a solidly Democratic vote - unusual for an upstate district.

Albany is home to one of the nation's last big-city political machines, formed in 1921. During the heyday of Daniel O'Connell and Mayor Erastus Corning II, the Albany machine used to ensure Democratic victories throughout the area, but it now holds less sway over the area's ever-expanding suburbs. Few of the district's Democrats could be described as liberal. Most are quite conservative when it comes to social issues.

Despite large-scale industrial losses in the 1980s, manufacturing remains critical to the region. Job losses have been mitigated somewhat by an intensive effort to recruit small manufacturing firms. But gone are the days when residents could rely on life-long jobs at General Electric, which still operates a research and development center in Schenectady.

Major Industry
State government, manufacturing

Military Bases
Watervliet Arsenal, 3 military, 1,115 civilian (1997)

Population
580,320 (1990)

Cities
Albany, 103,564; Schenectady, 62,893; Troy, 52,518 (1996)

People
80% urban; 15% age 65+ (ranks fifth of 31 in state; top third nationally); 50% married couples, 22% married couples with children; 24% college educated (ranks 10 of 31 in state; top third nationally); 67% white collar (ranks ninth of 31 in state; top third nationally), 19% blue collar (ranks 22 of 31 in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)

Race
91% white, 6% black, 2% Asian; 2% Hispanic origin (1990)

Median Household Income
$31,489 (ranks 17 of 31 in state; middle third nationally) (1990)

Unusual Features
Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker who provided the Army much of its rations during the War of 1812, is better known as Uncle Sam and is buried in Troy; Original U.S. Shaker settlement established in Watervliet in 1776.

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