Posted on 08/01/2011 4:17:31 PM PDT by bgill
The matter of one Texas House member reaching across the desk and casting vote on behalf of a colleague was such a problem that the chamber's leaders shelled out nearly $130,000 to help remedy it.
That was 2008.
Now, House leaders say that the longstanding but controversial practice of "ghost voting" is not really a problem at all. And the expensive, custom-made and never-used equipment that was purchased to prevent it is locked away in a storage room a few hundreds yards from the Capitol.
That leaves state lawmakers -- past and present -- playing the blame game on why that much taxpayer money was spent on something they never used.
Fingerprint voting scanners were meant to make voting in the Texas House a little easier...
A KXAN examination of the 2011 regular session’s House journals shows that there were nearly 1,700 miscast votes. Members said sometimes it happens because of ghost voting.
“It's not uncommon, and it's a courtesy that we all do for each other,” Rep. Bill Callegari, R-Houston.
“If we weren't allowed to do it, our participation, I think, would hurt tremendously,” said Rep. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville.
(Excerpt) Read more at kxan.com ...
Yes, because we all know they can't be bothered to actually show up for votes. You know, doing their jobs. If they don't want to do their own freaking job, they can resign their seat and let someone who is willing to do it have a chance.
This is no different from an employee clocking in a missing co-worker.
Cause for dismissal in any time clock using company I’ve ever worked for.
Texas is full of corrupt politics.Just made a vid. on Texas Ruling-Class & immigration. It definately needs reforms.
Gotta be easier ways to do that, such as an overhead camera that shows just who is pushing a voting button.
“Now, House leaders say that the longstanding but controversial practice of “ghost voting” is not really a problem at all. And the expensive, custom-made and never-used equipment that was purchased to prevent it is locked away in a storage room a few hundreds yards from the Capitol.”
Makes me right proud to be a Texan. Now, excuse me please as I throw up.
push the button... camera above button snaps picture.
no head in the picture, the vote is not accepted and a beep is heard
this will insure the right person is voting
I bet the reacher was a donkey.
Now, now, don’t be too harsh. Some times they are too drunk to vote...
When I was a page in the Arkansas house, I often vote for a member.
Fingerprint voting scanners were meant to make voting in the Texas House a little easier...Sounds like a great idea for federal elections -- and baggies with severed thumbs from the cemetery will be banned from polling places.
At the instructions of that member, or on your own?
Truth of the matter is that some of "ghost voting" occurs because there isn't a quorum on the floor of the house, so other members vote the way their desk mates have told them they would vote (or if it's a partisan issue, how they know they would vote). Some members are sent to the floor with a pre-marked bill calendar telling them how they should vote on every issue, so all your desk mate need do is look over at the sheet.
Other "malfunctions" are the result of reps realizing they voted the wrong way, i.e., against the will of their constituents or the will of someone standing out in the lobby.
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