Texas Democrats and Republicans alike cast hundreds of votes by proxy in U.S. House in 2021

It was meant to be temporary, but there’s talk of another extension for a U.S. House rules change that allows members to vote by proxy for their absent colleagues during the pandemic. In May 2020, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a process allowing sick and vulnerable members to cast votes remotely on legislation without having to appear in person — over the opposition of many Republicans. Members are required to send a letter to the House Clerk, notifying her of when and why they’ll be absent and who will cast votes for them. Most of the letters have included this passage: “I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency.” As coronavirus continues to take a toll, proxy voting is still in effect, and could be for quite some time. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has extended the use of it until Feb. 13, and some lawmakers privately expect her to prolong it for another 45-day stretch, Axios reported.

The rules change in 2020, which marked the first time House members were permitted to perform their responsibilities remotely, also helped Pelosi ensure she maintained her slim Democratic majority even when not enough Democrats physically showed up in Washington. And it’s been used frequently. From Jan. 3 to Nov. 26, 2021, the top four Texans who voted by proxy — Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, Colin Allred, D-Dallas, Brian Babin, R-Woodville and John Carter, R-Round Rock — used this vote-by-proxy method to cast a combined 498 votes. This week, after news broke that the FBI was on scene at Laredo Rep. Henry Cuellar’s house for a court-authorized ongoing investigation, the South Texas Democrat used the proxy method to vote on four different legislative actions: once on Wednesday and three times on Thursday. Cuellar voted by proxy on Tuesday as well. Dozens of members have voted by proxy. On March 8, 2021, for example, Allred, Babin and Carter all sent letters to the clerk to say a proxy would be voting for them. It’s the earliest proxy letter the House Clerk has on record from Babin, who vowed to never use the practice when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced House Republicans were suing Pelosi over the new rules change in May 2020.