When we vote in Representatives Hall, there is a little panel in front of us that has three lights. The first light is white, indicating that our voting key has been turned on. The other two lights are red and green. OK that's easy enough. Push the red button to vote no, the green button to vote yes. No problem? Better pay attention.
A bill is presented to the Representatives. A committee report is read. Members can speak for or against. A vote is called. Many times it's a voice vote. The yeas always prevail. But anyone can request a division vote (yea/nay actual count), or roll call. If 10 members second the motion, it's time to play "Who wants to be a Legislator".
The question is read by the speaker. We have 30 seconds to vote. I know this bill. It's really bad. I push the red button. I sit with my Nashua colleagues and glance around me. My mentor Carl at the end seat had pressed green. I get the Regis Phiblin look. His raised eyebrow is asking me "Is that your final answer?" Um...no. Time for the lifelines. Take the choices down to two. Oops, that's already done, red or green. Let me call my friend Dee, sitting on the other side. She pressed green. Time to ask the audience. Everybody in my Nashua row has pressed green. I press green. My final answer.
Afterwards, I am told that we were not voting on the bill. We were voting on the committee report on the bill. Pay attention. The committee thinks, like me, that it was a really bad bill. So the committee voted to kill it, called Inexpedient to Legislate. Did we agree with the committee report? Vote yes to agree with the committee report to kill the bill.
Another answer to the old joke, what's black and white and read (red) all over? Me.
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