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  Pa. House to ease rule on 'ghost voting'
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ContributorU Ole Polecat 
Last EditedU Ole Polecat  Jan 18, 2005 10:35am
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MediaNewspaper - Philadelphia Inquirer
News DateTuesday, January 18, 2005 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0
Descriptionfrom the article:

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives soon will abandon a rule requiring lawmakers to be on the House floor to vote on bills.

When it starts its two-year session on Jan. 24, the House is expected to adopt a policy that allows members to vote as long as they are somewhere in the state Capitol, House Speaker John M. Perzel said.
...
Critics say the idea undermines the democratic system.

"It would weaken the integrity of the vote," said Barry Kauffman, executive director of Common Cause of Pennsylvania, a government watchdog group.

Officials are still working on the finer points, but under the new rule, members must be present for the master roll call - typically the first vote of any session day. After that, representatives could provide a letter requesting "Capitol leave," a new designation that would allow floor leaders to cast votes on a member's behalf.
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If they vote while outside the chamber, members would "not be participating in the deliberations and would not have the benefit of knowing what's happening on the floor," Kauffman said.

"It doesn't happen very often, but I've seen people reconsider how they vote after a compelling floor debate. That can't happen if they are not on the floor.
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