California Legislature will allow absent lawmakers to vote remotely amid COVID-19 pandemic
Leaders of the state Senate have decided to allow some members to vote remotely on bills in committee, but not on the Senate floor, according to Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins . The proposal would also require absent legislators to cast votes from their district offices.
Sam Blakeslee, vice chairman of the open-government group California Common Cause and a former Republican legislator who served as Assembly Republican leader in 2009 and 2010, called the Assembly proposal for proxy voting “very disturbing” and said he believed it was illegal. Assembly Republican floor leader Heath Flora of Ripon said he supports the new process as a temporary measure for “helping elected members who are vulnerable to COVID-19 still be able to represent their constituents in the Legislature,” but added “we hope that this emergency process is not taken advantage of for other political purposes.”
Former Assemblyman Mike Gatto, a Democrat from Glendale, said he also has some misgivings but said the proposal is a “reasonable” one-time accommodation during the health crisis. “A process for allowing such votes and ensuring the transparency of every vote has been developed. It will also provide for the opportunity to verify voting accuracy. We will maintain a quorum of members physically present on the Assembly floor for all floor sessions,” he said. “Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures.”
Lackey was hospitalized with complications from the virus but is back home recovering and expects to be well enough to attend floor sessions and cast his own vote.“I will not request remote voting because I will appear in person and represent my constituency,” Lackey said in a statement. “The people put their faith in me to vote on their behalf.”“Personal engagement is an important element in decision making,” he said. “Remote voting would surrender our democracy.
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