dichotic1
Amen.

futurebot
oh for fuck's sake

Sean Robinson
You're probably not going to read this, Fabio, but for the love of God is this a stupid thing to say. Not your dumbest comment, but a very representative one.

Electronic roll call votes take about 20 minutes to perform. All House votes start as voice votes. For uncontroversial matters, the acting Speaker recognises the will of the House as expressed verbally. Any member can ask for a roll call vote immediately after the voice vote. That roll call vote is usually postponed until later in the day in order to allow the leadership of the two parties to schedule batches of roll call votes to occur together and reduce the overall time needed for votes.

These are things that aren't actually difficult to learn and are actually pretty commonsensical. If one weren't a fucking idiot, one might guess at the process fairly easily, rather than assume that the fucking Congress actually uses a goddamned applause-o-meter for determining the outcome of contested votes.

Sean Robinson
Additionally, voice votes allow the House to take action on unpopular, but necessary issues without adding the additional politicisation of roll call votes. This is most commonly seen during the amendment process.

futurebot
Sean you're clearly not acquainted with the historical role of the voice vote in Congress; back before the invention of the microphone candidates were routinely voted into office exclusively on their ability to yell. That's why Rep. Alan Wilkes (D-NY) dominated the House from 1856-1879 - his amazing 98 decibel yell allowed him to win every voice vote during the period.

In fact, all other forms of voting in the House were invented as ways to check his power. That's why to this day we still call a recorded vote a "Wilkes" vote.

chumbucket
crickets chirping