On The Record Voting
Now is the time for real accountability and transparency in Columbia!
We need YOUR help. H. 3047 is stuck in a Senate sub-committee where status-quo loving senators are attempting to kill it. Please CALL or EMAIL your senator today and tell them what you think.
H. 3047 is a bill that, if passed, will require the South Carolina House and Senate to record how each member votes on every law they pass and on every section of the budget.
Summary:
Before rule 16,
- Two years ago, 1% of all Senate votes were recorded.
- Two years ago, 8% of all House votes were recorded.
Table below shows that the implementation of Rule 16 has resulted in only minimal improvement in the percentage of votes that lawmakers have been willing to reveal to their constituents:
| Votes | Record | %Recorded | Votes | Recorded | %Recorded | |
| SC Senate | 826 | 129 | 15.6% | 716 | 82 | 11.45% |
| SC House | 1289 | 402 | 31.2% | 1239 | 197 | 16% |
| Totals | 2115 | 531 | 25.1% | 1955 | 279 | 14.3% |
Why H. 3047 Must Become Law:
- With this bill, we will have the tools to hold our legislators accountable for how they voted.
- Without it, legislators can tell us just about anything regarding their votes in Columbia - and we will have no evidence otherwise.
- Passed the House 104 to 0. Given the likelihood of the governor signing the bill, only the SC Senate needs to pass it to become law.
Fact Check:
- "It will take too long." FALSE. In the House, each desk has a button the legislator can press to electronically record their vote. It literally takes just seconds.
- "It will cost too much money." FALSE. It only costs the money it takes to print extra pages in the journal. That's an investment worth the cost.
- "We already record our votes." FALSE. Roll call votes only happen when 10 House members or 5 Senate members request them.
- "If I want to, I can ask the House clerk to record my vote on any bill." NOT GOOD ENOUGH. We want to know how legislators vote when they DON'T want it recorded.
- "If it's a unanimous vote, the House journal will say so." NOT GOOD ENOUGH. That doesn't cover the non-unanimous votes.
- "We've already passed House/Senate rules to record our votes. We don't need this bill anymore". NOT GOOD ENOUGH. While the House and Senate rules improved the number of recorded votes, 75% are still done anonymously, with no record of who voted 'yes' or who voted 'no.'
- "It violates South Carolina's Constitution". FALSE. Although some opponents say it might, the only way we will find out is if we pass the bill. If it is challenged in court and the judge finds it violates the South Carolina Constitution, then we can work to change the constitution. If the SC Constitution stands in the way of government transparency, then we need to change the SC Constitution, not throw away good bills.
- "This bill will invite lawsuits from lawyers." FALSE. Most other states have laws requiring roll call votes and they are not having problems with lawsuits.
- "This bill doesn't cover all votes." TRUE, but it covers much more than what is covered by the current rules. It is a huge step in the right direction.
- "Rules can only be changed at the point of seating a new Senate or House. The rules are more steadfast than statutory language". FALSE. House rule 4.15 states that any House rule can be rescinded, suspended, or altered by 2/3 of the members present or by a simple majority in January of each year. The Senate nor the governor need not agree. Senate rule 45 states that any Senate rule can be suspended by unanimous consent, or by 2/3 majority vote of the membership. The House nor the Governor need not agree. To change a law, both the House and Senate must agree and the Governor's signature is required, except in the case where 2/3 of both the House and Senate agree.
The Bottom Line:
- No honest politician can oppose this bill and claim credibility. They must stop defending the institution and start defending the citizens' right to know.
Join us in this vital effort... because yours is the voice that matters!
