THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS: AN ...

82
APPENDIX B
TELEPHONE SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
1. EMPTY SEAT VOTING.
■ Is physical presence in the chamber required to cast a vote?
■ If so, is that practice observed?
■ If empty seat voting occurs, how often, generally? (less than 10 times a session,
about a third of the votes, about half of the votes, about two-thirds of
the votes, almost all of the votes)
■ How often does it occur for votes on ‘significant’ legislation? (less than 10
times a session, about a third of the votes, about half of the votes, about twothirds
of the votes, almost all of the votes)
2. FAST V. SLOW ROLL CALLS.
■ Does this distinction exist in your state legislature? (Slow roll call: calling
each member’s name to obtain vote; Fast roll call: some abbreviated version
where each name is not called individually) (Note that some states may use
electronic voting systems that circumvent the need for this distinction.)
■ How often do fast roll calls occur? (less than 10 times a session, about a third
of the votes, about half of the votes, about two-thirds of the votes, almost all
of the votes)
■ How often do fast roll calls occur for votes on ‘significant’ legislation? (less
than 10 times a session, about a third of the votes, about half of the votes,
about two-thirds of the votes, almost all of the votes)
3. FREQUENCY OF DEBATE. This refers to a significant debate over a bill, with at least
a few speeches or exchanges over the merits of a bill rather than simply an explanation of its
terms by sponsor.
■ How often does significant debate occur? (less than 10 times a session, about
a third of the votes, about half of the votes, about two-thirds of the votes,
almost all of the votes)
■ How often does significant debate occur before votes on ‘significant’ legislation?
(less than 10 times a session, about a third of the votes, about half of
the votes, about two-thirds of the votes, almost all of the votes)