Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Coburn (R-OK)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hutchison (R-TX)
McCain (R-AZ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Why didn’t those nine vote? Were they on vacation? Family Obligations? Ill? Chicken? What?
McCain and Graham were reportedly at a townhall meeting.
I don't know about the rest, but this particular vote was on an last-minute amendment to a bill. So, it's likely the missing Senators didn't know they should be in the chambers to vote on this issue.
I believe the following is possible...that there were no votes “scheduled” therefore some folks just weren’t there:
Mikulski was one of nine senators who did not vote on the ACORN amendment. She was receiving physical therapy for her ankle, which she broke in July, her spokeswoman said.
Mikulski had been informed that there would be no Senate votes on Monday. The ACORN amendment, which took place about 5:30 p.m., was the only roll call vote of the day.
She later placed a statement in the Congressional Record, indicating that she would have voted in favor of the funding cutoff amendment had she been present at the time of the vote, said her communications director, Rachel MacKnight.