Requiring roll call voting in the legislature

Like Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi require roll-call votes on final passage of all bills. This is an elementary requirement that allows voters to keep up with the positions of their elected lawmakers. Tennessee requires roll calls on all appropriation bills, and North Carolina requires roll calls on all revenue bills up for second or final reading.

The South Carolina legislature is taking some heat over there for the lack of roll call votes, which aren't requires except for elections by lawmakers, vetoes by the governor, contested bills in the House, amendments to the state's Constitution and any time 10 or more House members request a roll-call vote. They vote by roll call only eight percent of the time and recently voted on cost-of-living increases for their own retirement pay this year by voice vote.

SC House Speaker Bobby Harrell responded that "if some are suggesting that we should spend taxpayer dollars and increase government waste by taking a roll-call vote on every measure -- whether warranted or not -- I do not think that is a very wise decision." Another lawmaker says requiring a roll-call vote for every bill could extend debate, complicate amendments, cause problems in reaching a consensus and "might result in some unintended consequences." The speaker claims that electronic roll call votes cost an average of $55. Here's the article.