Congress to allow remote voting for first time in 231-history

House of Representatives votes to allow virtual voting and committee hearings during pandemic

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 07: U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi

For the first time in US history, the House of Representatives will allow its members to vote remotely as Washington legislators struggle to follow legislative duties during the coronavirus pandemic.

Members of Congress voted largely along party lines on Friday to allow proxy voting for all roll-call votes and to allow members to virtually participate in committee hearings.

The history-making change follows weeks of debate among Republicans and Democrats over relief legislation.

It also breaks from the body’s 231-year rules, requiring members be physically present to vote, with the Covid-19 public health crisis ultimately putting an end to the practise.

According to the rules, “no member shall vote on any questions in any case where he was not present when the question was put.”

A 217-189 vote, intended as a temporary solution through the duration of the emergency, could open the door for virtual voting. For now, members must identify people who will physically cast their votes.

Nationwide, governments and court systems — including the US Supreme Court — have also began virtual hearings in the wake of the pandemic.

From the floor on Friday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer assured that the rule change would “not fundamentally alter the nature of the House or how it operates” and dismissed the idea it set a “dangerous precedent” but creates a “common-sense solution to an unprecedented crisis that demands our ingenuity and adaptability as an institution”.

House Republicans have demanded their colleagues to return to Congress, echoing Donald Trump‘s calls for lawmakers to resume business as usual.

Minority Leader and staunch Trump ally Kevin McCarthy told reporters on Friday that the nation’s founders “would be ashamed” by the temporary rule change during the public health emergency, though many of the changes follow similar safety measures in place in the GOP-held Senate, including video conferencing.