New York State Assembly members will now be allowed to vote even when they are not present for work in the chamber, thanks to a recent amendment to the rules that allows so-called “fast roll call voting.”
Assembly Resolution E87, which contains a number of changes, includes a provision that permits a member’s vote to be counted as affirmative even when they are not physically present to vote, provided they swipe their attendance card at the start of the day.
As the majority party, Democrats are expected to benefit from the change. Republicans criticized the move as outrageous, while Democrats argued that it would increase efficiency in the Assembly.
The new rule was added to the resolution in the last paragraph and will allow members to vote in favor of bills and other questions without being present on the floor.
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