Show i Counting Votes I In Con Congress ress I 1 Last Wednesday the House voted by a rather narrow margin to raise the federal debt limit from billion to billion I voted against the raise for reasons enumerated earlier IT TOOK THE House approximately approximately I seven hours to pass the i debt ceiling measure Three i roll call votes were required before it w was finally approved Each roll call takes about 30 minutes to complete as the entire entire en entire en- en tire roster of the House membership membership mem mem- I. I of must be readI read I twice by the Reading Clerk I F AS YOU CAN see the calling of the roll accounted for about 20 per er cent of the total obi time taken up in consideration of this particular particular particular par par- bill This points up the great amount of time consumed In the House in merely counting votes and prompts the question as to why more efficient methods methods methods meth meth- such as electric voting are not used Lenzi Nelson of Roy a friend of mine of long standing was in Washington during the week and watched the House proceedings Wednesday from the visitors' visitors gallery IT IS INTERESTING to note that the first question he asked me after the session was over was Why doesn't the House have a faster and more efficient method for voting Many other visitors ask the same question i My colleague Rep Durward Hall Hail of Missouri who serves I with me on the House Republican can Task Force on Congressional Congress Congress- ional Reform and Minority ty n Staffing has made a study of voting procedures in the House HE CALCULATES that House members spent 83 to 84 hours answering roll calls in 1965 and another 60 hours in responding responding re responding re- re to quorum calls This accounted for roughly one fifth of the total time the House was In session Another Congressman Congress Congress- man estimates that in 1963 a total of 70 working days were spent just answering roll calls There have been recommendations recommendations recommendations for electric voting in the House ever since 1914 and more than 30 bills or resolutions resolutions resolutions reso reso- on this subject have been Introduced None have gotten beyond the committee stage however THERE ARE A number of arguments ar- ar ar arguments against electric voting but the main reason It has not been adopted to date seems to tobe tobe tobe be because of the unique way In which the House of Representatives Represent a- a tives functions In State Legislatures where electric voting has been successfully successfully suc suc- successfully employed for years members are generally in the Chamber while floor business Is being conducted State legislators legislators legislators legis legis- have desks in the Chamber Chamber Chamber Cham Cham- ber and most of their work Is conducted in the Chamber itself It is a relatively simple matter for all members to push a button button button but but- ton at approximately the same time THIS TillS IS NOT true in the House of Representatives Most of a Congressman's work takes take s place in committee or In J his s office Unless the issue being debated on the floor is of particular par par- Interest to his district or Is of overriding national importance importance Im Importance im- im a Congress Congressman man can put his time to better use elsewhere elsewhere elsewhere else else- where than on the floor As a matter of fact he doesn't even have a desk in the House chamber As long as it is necessary necessary necessary sary to go to the House floor to vote and some of ot the Congressman's Congressman's Congressman's Con Con- gressman's offices are two blocks away from the House chamber it Is questionable that any time would be saved by having the member go to the House and push a button to vote instead of answering vocally to the roll call OF COURSE 1 If the rules were changed to allow voting by pushing pushing pushing push push- ing a button on the Congressman's Congressman's Congressman's Congress Congress- mans man's desk in J his s office then the process could be greatly speeded up It see seems ms to me however that something vital to our system would be lost if a Congressman no longer had to stand standup up among his colleagues and shout yea or nay In their presence Pushing a button in your off office ice just doesn't have the same effect |