Eagle Forum organized a letter to House Republicans opposing the attempt to allow proxy voting by Members of Congress. Citing constitutional concerns and the dangers inherent in the practice, fifteen female leaders encouraged the House to reject the discharge petition that would allow Members to cast votes remotely following the birth of a child by a Member of Congress or a Member’s spouse.
The letter reads, in part, “Representing one’s constituents is an honor and privilege that requires commitment and sacrifice. Allowing one subset of Members to vote by proxy while preventing others from accessing it is unfair and unconstitutional, and once begun, any reason for any limitation will disappear. We fear this will lead to the erosion of in-person collaboration that is so important, and quite frankly, already in short supply in Washington.”
The letter is signed by Eagle Forum President Kris Ullman, Penny Nance of Concerned Women of America, Carrie Lukas, the Vice President of Independent Women’s Voice, Jenny Beth Martin, the Honorary Chair of Tea Party Patriots Action, Dr. Carol Swain of Be The People Project, syndicated radio host Sandy Rios, Cleta Mitchell of the Conservative Policy Institute, Brigitte Gabriel of Act for American and many others.
Representatives Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) filed the discharge petition to bring up H. Res 23, a resolution to reinstate the disastrous Pelosi-era proxy voting practice that was implemented during the COVID pandemic. During that time, it was misused by Members who were able to cast votes while on vacation, campaigning, and even on book tours.
The practice was challenged in a case, Texas v. Garland, regarding the passage of the two laws by proxy voting during the pandemic. In that case, the Fifth Circuit held that proxy voting violates the Quorum Clause of the Constitution.
In addition to its dubious constitutionality, the concern is that once proxy voting is allowed for one group of Members, Congress will feel pressure to extend it to others. “Is it fair to tell a cancer patient, or the spouse or parent of a cancer patient, that he or she cannot vote by proxy while the spouse of a new mom is permitted to do so for three months? Once this Pandora’s Box is opened, limiting proxy voting will likely be impossible,” warn the signers.
“There are real challenges in the balancing of work and family for moms (and dads)”, the letter concludes. “But we believe the costs of implementing proxy voting outweigh the benefits. We, therefore, urge you to oppose the discharge petition and the resolution on proxy voting.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
