US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
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Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#2I have never seen a compelling argument for why this should not be allowed.
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#3Oh, I thought the headline meant remote voting for, you know, voters, not Senators, and was very surprised to see an R next to one of the sponsor's names. The bill's just to let the Senate vote remotely. I'd imagine most of the interesting nuance is about "presence" and quorum-making. This is not about expanding remote/by-mail voting in elections, which Republicans have generally been strongly against, including and especially since the Covid-19 crisis started.
[EDIT] correction: it's not a bill, either, it's (as the headline correctly notes) a resolution to change Senate rules.
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#4I have never seen a compelling argument for why this should not be allowed.
Security, fraud, and lack of a physical paper trail.
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#5I have never seen a compelling argument for why this should not be allowed.
You would have to decide on a process for senators to formally register their votes remotely, and that process would have to be one that could not be hacked even by a state actor because the stakes are incredibly high. That is a tall order even for a group of technically competent people, and the U.S. Senate is not generally known for its technical competence.
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#6The Senate is a deliberative body, and its primary work requires debate. Already too much gets done behind closed doors and outside the public eye. Dispensing with even the pretense of open debate is somewhat concerning.
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#7The Senate is a deliberative body, and its primary work requires debate . Already too much gets done behind closed doors and outside the public eye. Dispensing with even the pretense of open debate is somewhat concerning.
People can debate remotely, too.
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#8I have never seen a compelling argument for why this should not be allowed.
There are ~243 years of experience built in to making the government function as intended. Changing the implementation of the key function of one of the critical components must be done with great care.
How does debate work? How is a quorum decided? How long will members have to vote? How are their votes authenticated? etc.
Done wrong, votes in Congress could be perceived as sneaky and illegitimate, and legitimacy is critical. Members take advantage of procedural details all the time. When procedures are new or ill-defined, there are going to be lots of loopholes.
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#9When was the last time a candidate represented your views?
Does voting matter any more?
Re: US Senators Introduce Resolution to Allow Remote Voting During Emergencies
#10I have never seen a compelling argument for why this should not be allowed.
You would have to decide on a process for senators to formally register their votes remotely, and that process would have to be one that could not be hacked even by a state actor because the stakes are incredibly high. That is a tall order even for a group of technically competent people, and the U.S. Senate is not generally known for its technical competence.
There are only 100 senators, and lots of people track their votes. A senator logging a surprising vote would be asked about it and able to correct the record.
Hacking a senate vote wouldn't be much use in the long run.