Why do lawmakers not show up to vote on bills they don’t like, instead of just voting no?

803 views

Only particular example I have: in a recent budget override attempt in Alaska’s state gov 22 representatives didn’t show up to vote in support of the veto override

In: Other

7 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

“Quorum busting” is a time-honored tactic, but it’s uncommon for several reasons:

1: you have to get enough people to be absent along with you that the legislature fails to meet quorum. If only a few people bail out, the vote will go on without them.

2: your political opponents will accuse you of cowardice and failing to do the job you were elected to do. Not a good look.

3: many legislatures have the power to order the cops to find you and drag you back by force. This doesn’t make fleeing impossible of course, but you can’t just chill in your office.

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Quorum_busting.htm

You are viewing 1 out of 7 answers, click here to view all answers.