Morris News Service
COLUMBIA --- A group of people shouting "yea" or "nay" on a bill doesn't tell the public much about how their legislators voted, says a free-market think tank.
That allows lawmakers to hide their positions from the public, something that's especially problematic when it comes to spending taxpayer money, says the Columbia-based South Carolina Policy Council.
The free-market think tank counted the General Assembly's votes and found that this year an average of 5 percent of votes on general bills or joint resolutions were conducted roll-call-style, which reveals individuals' positions.
"Legislators must be held accountable for their choices, and South Carolinians deserve to know how their elected officials vote," said Bryan Cox, the spokesman for the Policy Council. "Roll call voting is critical to ensuring open government. Voice votes keep citizens in the dark."
But Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, said voice votes tend to be on mundane issues and procedural steps, such as the first of three readings of a bill.
"Very rarely do I see a bill live or die by a voice vote," she said the first-term lawmaker. But she added, "There's never going to be a reason I don't want to stand up and look someone in the face and tell them how I voted."
House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said the group focused on the final passage of bills, rather than the amendments.
By his staff's count, the General Assembly took 1,102 roll call votes out of 3,780 bills and resolutions introduced in the recent two-year session.
"If some are suggesting that we should spend taxpayer dollars and increase government waste by taking a roll call vote on every measure, whether warranted or not, I do not think that is a very wise decision," Mr. Harrell said.
Each roll-call vote costs taxpayers $55, according to his staff.
