Here it is the next day, and neither I nor anyone else has been able to report to you the most relevant information from yesterday’s Richland County legislative delegation meeting — specifically, which lawmakers voted for which candidates for the county election board.
So basically, I can’t report to you, as voters, the one bit of information that allows you to hold people you elect accountable for their actions.
As I mentioned yesterday in a comment, I called the number that Nathan Ballentine had given me for the delegation secretary. I was assured that the information was being compiled, and that it would be sent to me via email.
Why that would take any time at all, I don’t know. It probably has something to do with the decision by the lawmakers to use paper ballots rather than a voice vote, and to weight the votes to give senators more of a say than House members. Maybe. I don’t know.
In any case, Friday came and went, and I don’t have the information. Neither did Dawn Hinshaw:
Efforts late Friday to find out who voted for Adams were unsuccessful. Legislative members opted to cast votes on paper, rather than by voice. They also used a system giving senators’ votes more weight….
I did learn from Dawn’s story (she was there; I was not) that four lawmakers made a point of voting for no incumbents. Two were, as I reported yesterday, Reps. Nathan Ballentine and Beth Bernstein. The others voting for an entirely new broom were Rep. Mia McLeod and Sen. Joel Lourie.
Rep. Leon Howard
She also reported that one representative, Leon Howard, spoke during the meeting in favor of keeping Adell Adams on the board, citing the importance of retaining “institutional knowledge.” So I guess he voted for her, but I don’t know it. And I don’t know who else did.
When I know, you’ll know.
I see that WIS quoted Todd Rutherford as also speaking in favor of institutional memory…
Also… as I keep Googling around… Eva Moore at Free Times reported that Sen. John Courson said he would vote only for nonincumbents. So that’s five.
But no one is reporting how all the delegation members voted.
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You give them a possible pass because of paper ballots? Exactly how many ballots are we talking about? It’s only the legislative delegation!
I’m not giving them a pass. I’m just wondering — why couldn’t they tell me immediately?
They have to want to.
This whole business lacks any kind of transparency.
Something’s rotten in the county of Richland
They could- you are giving them a pass- because you aren’t admitting to what is obvious
they don’t want to tell you – and don’t care if you know or not – just like they don’t care what the voters think about it.
The whole rigmarole is a farce from set-up to nobody knows. 17 members with districts crossing county lines voting on a county issue?? Oh, but it’s all OK because they weight the votes of the members based on their district’s in-county population. Uh huh. They don’t even know who voted for what, let alone whether the weights were applied I-won’t-say-properly. Farce, farce, farce. TRIPE.
A single county issue….forget home rule!
This is pretty simple. Just write/call/fax/twitter your local councilman and ask how he/she voted. If they either voted against the way you would have liked OR do not respond then hold that against them come election time. It’s time for voters to stop relying on the press to do their research.
Some will respond – some won’t respond and all
But most importatly- most residents don’t care either way
Bud, so I am supposed to call my representative/senator every time there is a vote to find out how he/she voted? That is really silly. If anything, the press does not give enough information to the voters so that we can make decisions about who needs to be re-elected and who needs to be shown the door. As for the “election” of the members of the Richland County Election Board, was there really an election if no one provides or is able to provide the vote totals? This whole procedure is so ridiculous. The County Council provides the funding for the county elections board. They should elect the members. Pretty simple, I would think. Then maybe we would know how everyone voted and what the final vote totals were. I stood in line to vote 4.5 hours in 2012 and I am still so angry about all of this nonsense surrounding the election, the election board, and the legislative delegation.
This whole procedure is so ridiculous.
-Leon
I absolutely agree. I also agree that the press could be more proactive. But ultimately it’s the voters who are to blame. Vote against the incumbent if they aren’t transparent. Voters have the power to make changes but for whatever reason don’t exercise that power. Poll after poll shows extreme displeasure with congress and I’m sure county council would rank just as low. But election after election incumbents win 90+ percent of the time. That is the MOST puzzling aspect of this situation.