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Ghost Voting in Usa

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Submitted By aljay
Words 806
Pages 4
Al Johns
Govt 2302
May 31, 2013

Assignment #4 Ghost Voting
Ghost voting is a practice in which a member of a legislative assembly casts a vote without being present in the voting chamber. The absent legislator would therefore record a vote on the issue while being able to attend to other matters. Members of the same party often agree to perform ghost votes for each other, and in some cases, members of opposing parties have even cast ghost votes which run contrary to the beliefs of the absent legislator. While it might seem impossible to vote without being present, there are in fact several ways in which ghost voting can occur, and the practice is actually quite widespread. In some cases, ghost voting is such common practice that legislative reformers have suggested specifically banning the practice to put a stop to it, or legalizing it so that it can be regulated.

Unfortunately, most Texas legislators don’t see ghost voting as a problem which is very scary. Furthermore, constituents have no idea whether their representatives are present and accounted for, and lawmakers who ask others to vote for them always run the risk of having their desk mates guess wrong about which button they would have pushed. In another case, members in the same inner circle might not share the same view; therefore, they could cast a vote that their fellow lawmaker weren't in favor of which has the potential of being detrimental to the citizens that he or she represent. The member voting on behalf of the other rep. could have higher hopes of a bill being passed especially since they know they could count on an additional vote.

There has been an instance where votes were cast for a lawmaker who was dead, and a grand jury actually rebuked Texas lawmakers for inviting distrust with phantom voting. A few controversial bills have passed or failed because legislators who were out of the country magically cast votes across time zones. Texas lawmakers who worked to pass a voter ID bill argued that they were on the side of honesty and integrity, rooting out fraud and tamper-proofing the system. But some of these same legislators were perpetrating a fraud of their own, casting votes for absent colleagues.

Constituents can track how their representatives voted on any bill. But as long as ghost voting persists, they can’t be sure that a particular legislator was on the floor or even in the building when an issue was decided. This practice shows a disturbing case of a "do as I say and not what I do" manipulation. "Ghost voting is more sinister precisely because it is hidden and operates under the radar - operating with the same purpose, subverting the will of the electorate. Elected representatives who ask for votes from citizens to represent them in the house have an obligation to said citizens to represent them and their interest. There's a big problem when you feel like your elected official isn't present for things as crucial as a vote, and that it's left in the hands of another rep (possibly for a different district).

Ghost voting is also unethical, disingenuous and a mockery of democracy. The problem isn't widespread. But it's enough of a concern that the state House Ethics Committee plans to investigate the alleged practice of those who make arrangements for votes to be cast on their behalf while their seats are vacant. State Representatives should be held to similar standards as the people they represent, if laws are put in place for us to abide, who decides who's above the law? The Speaker needs to get involved to make sure policies drawn up for the house are abided by. Every time a fraudulent vote is cast, a real vote, the political expression of a real voice goes unheard, unacknowledged, uncounted."

One of the fundamental concerns of the Framers of the constitution was how to make legislators accountable for their actions; therefore representatives should be mandated to be present for the votes that make the law. A couple years ago, the House took an important step toward accountability and bought a fingerprint-recognition system that would allow members to vote while away from their desks. But apparently, such transparency was a scary prospect for the lawmakers who protested the purchase, and the machines were never installed.
Lawmakers are paid to cast those votes, not to figure out ways to avoid their sworn duty and still get paid. I believe the legislature should define ghost voting as an unethical act, then institute meaningful penalties.

Work Cited http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20110328-editorial-lawmakers-should-give-up-the-ghost-when-casting-votes.ece http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ghost-voting.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6X-xtVask www.youtube.com/watch?v=imPrIKAZw8A

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