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Legislative Council rolls out electronic committee voting; full committee to record voice votes initially
Summary
IT staff demonstrated a new electronic committee voting system that will allow clerks to publish committee votes and amendments directly to the public website; the full committee will initially use voice votes while clerks record results electronically.
Cody Malloy, IT director for the Legislative Council, briefed the Appropriations Committee on a new electronic committee voting system now available in the committee portal.
Malloy said the system replicates the chamber-style voting experience in the committee application and allows clerks to record votes electronically. The new workflow will enable clerks to generate standing committee reports and publish amendment versions and SPA documents faster to the public website, reducing the lag between committee action and online publication.
Malloy said the clerks will record votes electronically for every committee; committees can choose whether members also use their iPads or laptops to register votes. Chairman Bigas said the full committee will use voice votes for the initial period while clerks record the results electronically in the system. Section chairs may adopt electronic voting for their divisions at their discretion.
Malloy, who said several committees used the system successfully in morning sessions, noted the software will produce a public record of committee votes and make standing committee reports and the SPA documentation available sooner than under the previous paper-based workflow.
Why it matters: Faster publication of committee votes and amended bill versions improves transparency and reduces the time the public must wait to see which members voted for a committee recommendation or a particular amendment.
