Congress Weighs Voting by Proxy in Coronavirus Crisis
Al Grabo for the New York Times
We ran the numbers: There are 985 news articles covering this topic. 40% (392) are left leaning, 29% (287) center, 31% (306) right leaning.
As the impacts of coronavirus continue to spread, House lawmakers are weighing the option of proxy voting, if House members want to skip out on in-person votes. Proxy voting allows one member to submit votes on behalf of many of their colleagues. While left-leaning articles highlight House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s disapproval of remote voting, right-leaning articles review Representatives Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter’s letter urging a change in voting procedure.
A left-leaning article by The New York Times reports that although Pelosi and McConnell have publicly dismissed the idea of remote voting, a growing number of lawmakers have urged them to think again. Democratic Representatives Eric Swalwell and Katie Porter urged the change in a Monday letter signed by dozens of other lawmakers, as the coronavirus has already diminished the ranks of the Senate, especially the Republican majority.
NPR published a centrist article highlighting that a new House Rules Committee plan suggests proxy routing might be the preferred option. While the House Rules Committee said technology and security requirements for remote voting would take extensive time to implement, alternatives such as proxy voting could be implemented quickly. The option of unanimous consent has also been weighed and is traditionally used as a verbal OK on the House floor to approve noncontroversial legislation.
A right-leaning article by The Washington Examiner highlights that in Porter’s letter to House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, she stated that there are major risks associated with Members meeting together in defiance of CDC guidance and state orders to shelter in place. The article also notes that senators are now backing a rule change that would allow them to vote remotely after Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, was infected with the coronavirus.