Imagine if Congress were allowed to vote on the bailout bills in secret. It would have saved many members lots of grief. As one congressman was heard saying, half of his constituents told him to vote “No!” to the bills, and the other half told him to vote “Hell No!”
While the wrath of constituents may not be fun to take, on all matters of government, We the People deserve to know how our elected officials represent us — especially on matters of grave import like the $700 billion package passed earlier this month to — allegedly — stabilize the banking industry and unfreeze credit markets.
Recommended Stories
So if members of Congress must cast their votes, even votes on the most controversial topics, in the open, why should Maryland legislators be able to cast their votes in secret?
A bill introduced earlier this year by Howard County Delegate Elizabeth Bobo, a Democrat, would have prohibited votes in closed session, but it was killed. She should resurrect the legislation during the next session, and her colleagues must enthusiastically support it. The track record for Maryland’s public bodies acting in the best interest of their constituents is flawed. This past year the state’s Open Meetings Compliance Board found violations of the state’s open meeting law, which covers all public bodies, not just the General Assembly, in 11 of the 17 cases brought before it.
We wonder how closed votes are allowed in the first place. Nothing government does or has is private. Everything is public.
We understand, in very limited situations, such as discussing specific litigation or credible public security threats, why meetings may be secret. But votes?
Legislators are not rulers. We the People are. They work for us.
In order to hold our elected officials accountable and keep them from corruption we must know how they stand on issues affecting Maryland. We can think of no instance where votes should be hidden for the public interest. Quite the opposite — the only thing secret votes do is protect officials from scrutiny and quash public debate. We face serious economic challenges this year that affect the short- and long-term health of the state. The only way to debate legislative prescriptions for them is in the full light of public opinion.
