House Republicans warned against a developing plan by Democrats that would allow lawmakers to vote remotely.
“Speaker Pelosi is once again attempting to consolidate power in the House of Representatives while rewarding members of her party for their compliance,” Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said in a joint statement with Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Rodney Davis of Illinois.
Democrats announced this week that “operable and secure technology exists to conduct remote voting in the House of Representatives.”
The letter from House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren to Speaker Nancy Pelosi opens the door to electronic voting from afar, which is prohibited.
Democrats voted in May to permit voting by proxy, ending a rule dating back to the beginning of Congress that lawmakers must vote in person.
Proxy voting requires a lawmaker on the House floor to cast a vote for an absent member who designates the lawmaker to act on his or her behalf.
Remote voting would go much further in making it possible for lawmakers to remain away from the Capitol by allowing them to vote for themselves from afar, using phones and computers.
McCarthy said the Democrats are “reportedly considering additional rules” that would eliminate the GOP’s one chance to amend a bill at the end of debate.
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