The Absent Delegate: Why Is Bouchat the Only One Facing Expulsion?

By Michael Phillips | MDBayNews

---

The Maryland House of Delegates voted 102 to 14 this week to advance a resolution expelling Del. Christopher Eric Bouchat for absence. The resolution, filed by Del. Lauren Arikan (R-Harford), accuses Bouchat of “willful and wanton absence” from his duties — specifically his committee work since February 24.

It is a serious charge. It deserves a serious question.

If absence is grounds for expulsion, why is Bouchat the only one facing it?

MDBayNews reviewed three years of voting records from the Maryland General Assembly — the 2024, 2025, and 2026 sessions — covering every House member. What we found tells a story that nobody pushing for Bouchat’s expulsion wants told: he was one of the most present members of the entire chamber before his protest began, dozens of his colleagues have missed far more votes over the same period without consequence, and the standard being applied to him is being applied to no one else.

---

Who Bouchat Was Before the Protest

Before examining who else is absent, it is worth establishing who Bouchat was before his protest began.

In 2024, Christopher Bouchat missed 9 out of 1,514 recorded votes. A 0.6% absence rate. He was one of the most present members of the entire Maryland House of Delegates. He was not a chronic absentee. He showed up — session after session, vote after vote — while watching every reform bill he introduced die without support from either party, losing an estimated half million dollars in business income in the process.

That year, while Bouchat was casting nearly every vote, the following members were missing significant portions of their own — without a single resignation demand, ethics referral, or expulsion resolution:

Delegate	Party	District	Absent/Not Voting	Total Votes	% Inactive
Jamila Woods	Democratic	26	451	1,514	29.8%
Ric Metzgar	Republican	6	437	1,514	28.9%
Sheree Sample-Hughes	Democratic	37A	346	1,514	22.9%
Seth Howard	Republican	30B	310	1,514	20.5%
Jeff Ghrist	Republican	36	304	1,514	20.1%
Brian Crosby	Democratic	29B	304	1,514	20.1%
Lily Qi	Democratic	15	229	1,514	15.1%
Pam Queen	Democratic	14	197	1,514	13.0%
Aletheia McCaskill	Democratic	44B	196	1,514	12.9%
April Rose	Republican	5	141	1,514	9.3%

That last entry is worth pausing on. Del. April Rose (R-District 5) — one of the three District 5 colleagues who called for Bouchat’s resignation this session — missed 9.3% of her votes in 2024. Bouchat missed 0.6%. She faced no consequences. She called for his resignation anyway.

Bouchat’s protest began in late February 2026 — after four years of showing up, casting nearly every vote, and watching the system he was trying to change ignore everything he proposed. His absence is not a pattern of laziness. It is the conclusion of a man who tried the conventional way for four years and watched it accomplish nothing.

---

The 2026 Numbers

In the current 2026 session, Bouchat ranks second in combined absences and non-participation — behind a Democrat who has not cast a single vote all session.

Del. Adrienne Jones (D-District 10) — the former House Speaker who resigned her speakership in December 2025 and withdrew from her reelection race in February 2026 after 30 years of service — is absent or not voting on 100% of recorded votes in 2026. Eight hundred votes. Not one cast. Reports indicate she has been dealing with private matters. No expulsion resolution has been filed. No resignation demands from colleagues. No ethics referrals.

Jones’s situation is sympathetic and her circumstances are different from Bouchat’s. But that is precisely the point. The system has no problem leaving District 10 functionally unrepresented for an entire session while a longtime member deals with private matters. No one filed an expulsion resolution. No one argued that the people of District 10 deserved better. The same Arikan who says District 5 deserves full representation has said nothing publicly about District 10.

Absence, it turns out, is only unacceptable when the absent member has been making noise about the right things.

Del. Brian Crosby (D-District 29B) — whom Bouchat himself cited months ago as a fellow small business owner whose absences drew no scrutiny — is absent or not voting on 83.9% of votes. No expulsion resolution.

Here are the top absentees in the 2026 session:

Delegate	Party	District	Absent/Not Voting	Total Votes	% Inactive
Adrienne Jones	Democratic	10	800	800	100.0%
Christopher Bouchat	Republican	5	692	800	86.5%
Brian Crosby	Democratic	29B	671	800	83.9%
C.T. Wilson	Democratic	28	421	800	52.6%
Nicole Williams	Democratic	22	322	800	40.2%
Adrian Boafo	Democratic	23	289	800	36.1%
Jeff Long	Democratic	27B	217	800	27.1%
Anne Healey	Democratic	22	209	800	26.1%
Caylin Young	Democratic	45	209	800	26.1%
Steve Johnson	Democratic	34A	190	800	23.8%
Jeff Ghrist	Republican	36	184	800	23.0%
Jessica Feldmark	Democratic	12A	173	800	21.6%
Mark Edelson	Democratic	46	165	800	20.6%
Ryan Nawrocki	Republican	7A	153	800	19.1%

Bouchat is second on this list. The member ahead of him has not voted once. Neither faces the scrutiny Bouchat does — because neither made powerful people uncomfortable.

---

The 2025 Numbers

The pattern is consistent in 2025. Del. Jeff Long (D-District 27B) missed or did not vote on 47.7% of all recorded votes — 618 out of 1,296. No expulsion resolution was filed. No colleagues called for his resignation.

Top absentees in 2025:

Delegate	Party	District	Absent/Not Voting	Total Votes	% Inactive
Jeff Long	Democratic	27B	618	1,296	47.7%
Josh Stonko	Republican	42C	217	1,296	16.7%
Frank Conaway	Democratic	40	199	1,296	15.4%
April Rose	Republican	5	188	1,296	14.5%
Mike Griffith	Republican	35A	186	1,296	14.4%
Debra Davis	Democratic	28	178	1,296	13.7%
Bob Long	Republican	6	150	1,296	11.6%
Teresa Reilly	Republican	35A	144	1,296	11.1%
Robin Grammer	Republican	6	131	1,296	10.1%
Diana Fennell	Democratic	47A	123	1,296	9.5%

Worth noting: Del. April Rose (R-District 5) — one of the three District 5 colleagues who called for Bouchat’s resignation — missed or did not vote on 14.5% of votes in 2025. In 2024, she missed 9.3%. Bouchat missed 0.6% that same year. She faced no consequences. She called for his resignation anyway.

Also worth noting: Del. Jason Buckel (R-District 1B) — the House Minority Leader who said policing members “is between that member and their voters” — missed or did not vote on 8.1% of votes in 2025. Nobody filed an expulsion resolution against him either.

---

The Standard That Only Applies to One Person

Arikan’s resolution invokes a standard of attendance and participation. It is a reasonable standard in the abstract. Applied uniformly, it would sweep up a significant portion of the Maryland House of Delegates — including members of both parties, including members who voted to advance Bouchat’s expulsion.

But it is not being applied uniformly. It is being applied to one man — the one who left a bust of Aristotle at his desk, proposed constitutional reform bills that neither party would support, and spent four years as one of the most present members in the chamber before concluding that presence alone changes nothing.

Adrienne Jones has not cast a single vote in 2026 — and her circumstances, dealing with private matters after 30 years of public service, deserve compassion and discretion. She is getting both. Brian Crosby has missed 83.9% of votes. Jeff Long missed nearly half his votes in 2025. Jamila Woods missed 29.8% of votes in 2024. None of them face expulsion.

Christopher Bouchat missed votes and said out loud why.

That, apparently, is the unforgivable offense.

---

A Note on Methodology

Voting data sourced from Maryland General Assembly public records via OpenStates, covering the 2024, 2025, and 2026 sessions. “Inactive” votes include both recorded absences and “not voting” designations. Some absences may reflect legitimate reasons — illness, personal emergencies, or other official duties — for which no public record exists. This analysis reflects the voting record only and does not assign motive to any member’s absence.

The same caveat applies to Bouchat. His absences have a publicly stated, philosophically articulated reason. His colleagues do not — because they were never asked to explain them.

---

Keep MDBayNews Reporting Free

MDBayNews exists to help Marylanders understand decisions made by state and local leaders — especially when those decisions affect daily life, rights, and public services.

If this article helped clarify what’s happening or why it matters, reader support makes it possible to keep publishing clear, independent reporting like this.

👉 Support Local Journalism

Have a tip or documents to share?

We review submissions carefully and confidentially. Anonymous tips are welcome when appropriate.

 👉 Submit a Tip