Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
E-mail: mailbox@governing.comTwitter: @governing
Is Every State Legislature Haunted?
A couple of months ago, I mentioned Texas' ghost voting problem. Well, it turns out that the same thing goes on in the California Assembly.
From the San Francisco Chronicle :
(06-09) 23:20 PDT Sacramento -- California lawmakers routinely violate their own law and cast votes for colleagues who aren't there.
Although the practice of "ghost voting" in the state Assembly is usually harmless, experts say it is fraught with the potential for mischief, and at times ghost votes have decided the outcome of potentially far-reaching legislation.
In the most recent case to surface, eyewitnesses said that in May, Assemblyman Kevin de León, D-Los Angeles, cast a ghost vote for Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, D-Castro Valley - opposite the way she would have voted. "I don't recall it, but I don't deny it, either," de Leon said.
This seems like a good time to reprise my favorite newscast:
Twitter: @governing
GOVERNING Politics is the place for news and analysis on campaigns and elections. If there's a ballot measure in California, a legislative election in Alabama, a mayoral election in Anchorage or a governor's race in Rhode Island, GOVERNING Politics probably is writing about it. We love everything about state and local politics, from polls and campaign ads to policy debates and demographic trends.
Latest From Politics
- Eric Garcetti Faces Major Challenges as Next Mayor of Los Angeles
- How Weak is the Republican Party in the Most Democratic States?
- Looking Back at Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy
- Are States Deepening the Nation's Red-Blue Divide?
- How Successful Are Lieutenant Governors Seeking the Governorship?
Categories
- Ballot Measures
- Economic & Fiscal Issues
- Election Results
- Governors
- Legislatures
- Local Offices
- Mayors
- Media and Advertising
- National Politics
- Parties & Interest Groups
- Political Map
- Polls
- Redistricting & Reapportionment
- Social Issues
- State Offices
- Voting Process & Voting Rules
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
YouTube
Flickr
RSS
© 2011 e.Republic, Inc. All Rights reserved. |