REPORT: STATE WORST IN NATION FOR RECORDED VOTES, HAS MOST BURDENSOME REQUIREMENTS

The South Carolina Policy Council released their latest report on the lack of recorded votes in the state legislature, and it isn’t pretty.

The study of the Constitutional and legislative procedural rules in all 50 states found that South Carolina is one of just five states that do not require lawmakers to record their votes when passing bills. And of those five states, South Carolina has the nation’s most burdensome requirement for requesting a recorded vote — which explains why only 69 of 1,528 votes cast in the General Assembly this year were recorded.

Policy Council President Ashley Landess said this further emphasizes the need for transparency in state government and immediate reform at the statehouse.

“Every vote affects the public and no vote should be taken in secret,” said Landess. “There is no excuse for the legislature not to pass full transparency in the Statehouse. Anything less is unacceptable. It is time to take our state from ‘worst to first’ on open government.”

South Carolina is the only state in the South except Texas — which is only kind of the South, anyway — where roll call voting is not Constitutionally mandated. In fact, 41 states require a recorded vote on all bills in at least one legislative chamber and four others require a recorded vote on all bills that spend taxpayer money.

South Carolina law provides that a request for a recorded vote must come from at least five Senators or ten House members to force an on-the-record vote. The other four states without roll call voting requirements — all New England states, if that tells you anything — require only one or two legislators.

But there is hope for a resolution on what should honestly be a no-brainer issue.

Rep. Nikki Haley (R-Lexington) will introduce legislation in the South Carolina House in January which would amend state law to establish one of the nation’s toughest accountability requirements.

According to the Policy Council, the bill would require a recorded vote on second reading of all bills, and third reading if the bill is amended. It would also require a recorded vote on conference committee reports and each section of the state budget.

Haley’s bill, the 2009 Spending Accountability Act, currently has 25 House co-sponsors as well as public support from the governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller general, Senate president pro tempore and Senate majority leader.