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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsReps from Texas legislature caught on camera voting for multiple people during voting sessions.
State Representative Debbie Riddle (R 150) loves the word integrity. She was also a big supporter of recent Bill HB 16, which would have required Texas voters to present proof of identification. Ysee, thats very important because the very freedom of our nation is based on the integrity of our ballot box, she said. And if things are so lax that fraudulent voting can occur, then that means your vote can be stolen. And when thats done, your voice is silenced.
But Rep. Riddle herself has indulged in voter fraud on multiple occasions, voting for her absent colleagues in the House, thus silencing their voice, and by extension, the voices of anyone whos ever voted for them.
In May, 2007, the CBS 42 Investigates program ran a video showing Texas state legislators voting multiple times on a single bill casting votes for absent colleagues, in blatant violation of House rules. The official House rules state that Any member found guilty by the House of knowingly voting for another member on the voting machine shall be subject to discipline deemed appropriate by the House. When asked about such fraudulent voting by state legislators, the spokesperson for Speaker of the House Tom Craddick whose job is to make sure rules are followed simply shrugged her shoulders and dismissed it as unimportant. CBS 42 could not find a single instance where lawmakers had been ever been disciplined for voting more than once. Apparently appropriate is another word like integrity that must mean something different in Texas than it does elsewhere.
You might think this is just the usual Republican driven chicanery, but sadly, no. While Republicans are busy casting votes for their Republican colleagues, Democrats play catch-up scrambling around desks to vote for their colleagues as well. Sometime, this multiple voting cuts across party lines Republican Will Hartnett can be seen reaching across an empty desk to vote for Democrat Rene Oliveira. Democrat Jim McReynolds votes for Republican Kirk England, and Republican John Davis votes for Democrat Rick Noriega. Whether or not they voted in the manner their absent colleagues may have wished is unknown, but its unlikely. Winning or losing in the Texas legislature seems more about who happens to be there to play musical chairs than any valid political position on a bill.
http://crooksandliars.com/nonny-mouse/if-politicians-really-wanted-stamp-out
SoCalDem
(103,856 posts)They rarely "get together", and the state is on "auto-pilot" most of the time.?
Why not make them the first "online legislature"? ..that way they would NEVER have to show up
ashling
(25,771 posts)$600 a month
Drale
(7,932 posts)what a surprise
ashling
(25,771 posts)but, for the record, this is not limited to Texas
Bradical79
(4,490 posts)ashling
(25,771 posts)I thin a lot of state legislatures a notoriously dysfunctional.
rock
(13,218 posts)also known as the Non-Democracy party. Of course I just call them "Shitpublicans."