Hypothetically, let’s say there is a piece of legislation that garnered unanimous support in both houses of the West Virginia Legislature.
But because of a technical glitch and an unrelated filibuster on the last night of the session, the matter didn’t get passed.
And let’s say this issue is one that seems to be right in the wheelhouse for a governor currently running for a U.S. Senate seat as well as the rest of the state’s conservative leaders to make sure it comes to fruition.
Dickerson
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You’d think someone in charge would publicly stand up and say they want this issue to be taken up in the coming weeks when the governor calls a special session to deal with issues related to the state budget.
Right?
Well, guess again.
Yet, that is exactly what is happening in the Mountain State. And not only will no one publicly talk about it, they won’t even provide a simple “no comment.”
The matter is House Joint Resolution 21, a measure that would amend the state constitution to prevent non-citizens from voting in West Virginia elections.
But the Senate version had made a minor change to the wording, so that revised version needed to be approved again House.
But apparently, a technical glitch temporarily showed the HJR21 had completed the legislative process. By the time the problem was realized and corrected, Delegate Mike Pushkin (D-Kanawha) had started a filibuster to fight against other conservative issues in the final moments before midnight when the regular session ended.
Supporters say the amendment would secure the electoral process and uphold the principle of voting rights. Critics say it is unnecessary.
Even Pushkin, who previously told The West Virginia Record he didn’t think the measure was needed because he believes it’s already taken care of with the state constitution, voted in favor of HJR21. As did every other member of the House and Senate.
And who can blame Pushkin and other Democrats? Even if you found the resolution unnecessary, why would you vote against it? A conservative opponent in the election easily could use that vote to say you want to give non-citizens the right to vote. That soundbite most likely would spell doom to your chances for re-election.
If passed, HJR21 would put the questions before West Virginia voters on this fall’s general election ballot.
Now, put your political beliefs aside for a moment.
Given the current national political environment with such a focus on border security and the tragic death last month of a Georgia nursing student at the hands of a Venezuelan who entered the country illegally, you’d think Gov. Jim Justice and other state leaders would jump at the chance to make sure this issue was handled quickly. And what better time to do that than during the budget-focused special session he says will happen in April or May.
Because it already has the support of legislators in both houses, lawmakers could suspend the rule and take care of passing this resolution in a matter of minutes.
And while some insiders have told us there is a very good chance this will be added to the governor’s special session call, no one will talk about it publicly.
Since the session ended March 9, I have sent well more than a dozen emails to governor’s office staff members as well as representatives for state Senate President Craig Blair (R-Berkeley) and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R-Clay). I have called the governor’s office and left messages for officials there. I even went to the governor’s office March 15 to see if I could talk to anyone in person about it.
Crickets.
But I'm not surprised by any of that. That seems to be the way of running state government now. Just ignore the questions until they go away.
Blair sponsored mirror legislation in the state Senate. A Senate spokeswoman said Blair isn’t ready to talk about it but said his previous comments about supporting the idea still are applicable. A House spokeswoman offered a similar answer regarding Hanshaw.
“Most people assume that in order to vote in the United States, a person must be a citizen of the United States,” Blair previously told The Record. “However, that isn’t always the case. Liberal cities like San Francisco and New York are allowing non-citizens to vote. …
“Unless our West Virginia constitution specifically states that only citizens can vote, the possibility of non-citizens legally voting exists,” he told The Record. “So, we have proposed a Constitutional Amendment that will ensure that only citizens can vote in elections in West Virginia. Only citizens of the United States and West Virginia should be voting in West Virginia elections.”
Another question that remains unanswered is why HJR21, which passed the House on February 6, didn’t make it to the state Senate floor until March 5. And also why it was laid over for the third reading on March 7 and March 8. Even reading it that third time and voting on it the day before likely would have assured it would have been passed.
Yeah, we all know how things moved at the speed of government at the West Virginia Capitol. But this all seems ridiculous.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky General Assembly passed similar legislation last week. The matter will go before voters in the commonwealth this fall. And a delegate in the Virginia General Assembly introduced legislation that would require Virginia residents to prove U.S. citizenship when registering to vote by providing a birth certificate, passport or naturalization documents.
And sandwiched between those two states, this idea that seems to be supported by every West Virginia lawmaker for various reasons now waits in limbo.
I don’t know if its egos that are getting in the way or if it’s stubbornness, ineptitude, politics, money or something else entirely. But, regardless of your political beliefs, we all see this idea that is a no-brainer in deep-red West Virginia.
It’s just another indicator of why West Virginia finds itself dead last in so many studies and surveys regarding financial, growth and health. Ignoring an issue – and, in this case, a question posed dozens of times – doesn’t make it go away.
Again, I ask … How’s that rocket ship ride to prosperity working out for us?
Dickerson is editor of The West Virginia Record.