Comments on: BREAKING: Arizona Senate Rejects Anti-Marriage Amendment

By: Jim Burroway

Jim Burroway — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:50:28 +0000

I would agree that this is not over. It won’t be over until the “sine die,” which can’t come too soon.

By: pogovio

pogovio — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:44:05 +0000

My point in the post above is, we shouldn’t start the celebration just yet. This 14-11 vote may be just a holding pattern, not a defeat, for the Republicans. They may be set up for a sure win as soon as Karen Johnson gets back from vacation.

By: pogovio

pogovio — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:28:11 +0000

The failure of this bill is being blamed on the absense of Republican Sen. Karen Johnson. But the Senate has 30 members, so there were 5 missing votes.

I suspect there’s a convoluted parliamentary maneuver going on here. You mentioned 16 votes were needed for passage – that’s an absolute majority (16 out full membership of 30), not a simple majority (majority of those voting).

In some legislatures (including the U.S. congress), the losing side can ask for a re-vote, so maybe 4 of the missing votes were Republicans who would have voted for the bill, but that would have given them a 15-14 win, not enough to put the amendment on the ballot, but depriving them of the right to ask for a re-vote.

By: Bigots of Arizona planning huge whine-fest… « break the terror

Bigots of Arizona planning huge whine-fest… « break the terror — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:32:07 +0000

[...] (h/t Box Turtle) [...]

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:52:37 +0000

Good job Arizona!