Roll call voting - Mission Incomplete
Here in the Blogland, the recent House rules change which allows limited roll call voting is viewed with some degree of skepticism. While some may interpret it as a sign of progress, there are others who view it as a sell-out. From here, it's hard to tell which is the case.
Now that they have embraced the principle that recorded voting is important, legislators need to finish the job they've started. While fiscal accountability is important, the General Assembly deals with many other issues which have a real impact upon the lives of South Carolinians, including public safety, state government administration, restructuring, education policy, and economic issues. If an issue is important enough for legislators to address, then it's important enough for the people of this state to know where their legislators stood on that issue.
In today's Sun News, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom shared his thoughts in support of greater transparency, which roll call voting can help address:
It is up to legislators to decide if the rules change will be an important first step towards greater accountability, or a compromise with old style backroom politics. The right thing would be for them to finish the work they've started by adopting legislation which requires 100% roll call voting - and to do it as early in the next session as possible.
Now that they have embraced the principle that recorded voting is important, legislators need to finish the job they've started. While fiscal accountability is important, the General Assembly deals with many other issues which have a real impact upon the lives of South Carolinians, including public safety, state government administration, restructuring, education policy, and economic issues. If an issue is important enough for legislators to address, then it's important enough for the people of this state to know where their legislators stood on that issue.
In today's Sun News, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom shared his thoughts in support of greater transparency, which roll call voting can help address:
Providing better government transparency - giving people more and better information on how government spends our money and knowing how elected officials make decisions that affect all of us - is a cause dear to my heart.
Too many decisions are made behind closed doors, diluting accountability of our elected officials and eroding public confidence in government itself. When elected officials make decisions in secret and without a record of their votes, they sometimes pass things they never would approve in full view of the public.
It is up to legislators to decide if the rules change will be an important first step towards greater accountability, or a compromise with old style backroom politics. The right thing would be for them to finish the work they've started by adopting legislation which requires 100% roll call voting - and to do it as early in the next session as possible.
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