May 4, 2008

At Least He Didn't Claim To Have Voted For It Before He Voted Against It

The Kingsport Times News reports on the case of the mysteriously unrecorded vote, starring state Rep. Nathan "No Vote" Vaughn.

Update: The legislation at issue would have caused ex-lawmakers convicted of felonies to lose their state-paid health insurance, just as they already lose their state pension. In the committee hearing, a motion was made to refer the legislation to a committee that has already closed for the year, effectively killing the legislation, so a "No" vote would be a vote to keep the legislation alive, while an "Aye" vote was a vote to kill the legislation.

According to the Times News, Vaughn is now claiming he voted "No" - to keep the legislation alive. Is that true? Let's check the video - you can watch video of the committee hearing on the state's website. The vote comes 31 minutes and 32 seconds into the video. Vaughn is not heard voting no. In fact, no legislators are heard voting "No," though some are heard voting "Aye."

After the voice vote, no roll call vote is taken. At that point, members who want their position on the bill clearly recorded for posterity, public and press, have the option of asking the clerk to record their vote. Several members of the committee did just that, and asked to be recorded as voting "No."

The record shows Vaughn did not vote to do that, and the video of the hearing shows that Vaughn did not speak in favor of the legislation, which was actively opposed by several Memphis and West Tennessee Democrat lawmakers on the committee.