A Vote of Conscious

The storm clouds hovering over the national political climate today could make even a young Candide pessimistic.

Cable television shows thrive on pitting the extremes of each party against one another.  These debates denigrate into virtual name calling.  Adding to the public’s cynicism is the unfolding reality of strict party line votes in the U. S. House of Representatives and Senate.  Bipartisanship, some say, is on the scrap heap of history.  Legislators divide by party, and march in lock-step in opposite directions, responding only to the cadence of their political leaders.

Happily, these clouds have not yet enveloped our state General Assembly.  In Annapolis, the spectrum of views remains broad, and the leadership is quick to concede that their members are not lemmings.  Instead, leadership in Annapolis means learning how to herd cats.  This rampant individuality was on full display in the vote on HB 438 (The Marriage Equality Act).  Regardless of how you feel on the issue, this was no party line vote.  Those types of votes are labeled “leadership calls,” and they demand strict loyalty from the party ranks.  Despite the importance that both parties leadership placed on The Marriage Equality Act, this was a declared “vote of conscious.”

A vote of conscious frees each individual delegate or senator to vote as they feel compelled to vote – with no recriminations or retaliation from party leadership.  These types of votes recognize that the individual’s compass and their constituent’s views are guiding the outcome, not the cadence of leadership.

It is reassuring that the sun still shines on “votes of conscious” here in Annapolis.  It is a better system because diversity of views is allowed to thrive, and the opinion of the constituents still matter.