Montgomery, AL – A Democratic lawmaker admits he voted for absent House members to give a bill to remove the state sales tax on food the margin it needed to pass.
Representative Randy Hinshaw of Meridianville said Wednesday he was only doing what was best for his House district when he cast the votes on Tuesday.
Hinshaw declined to say how many machines he voted or which members he voted for. He would say only, "I voted some members' machines around me." He says he was simply following House rules that allow members to vote the machines of other representatives.
Republicans in the Alabama House claimed that some Democrats cheated by casting votes for members who were not present when a measure to remove the state sales tax on groceries was approved.
The bill passed the House 63-38, receiving the exact number of votes needed to pass a constitutional amendment.
But House Minority Leader Mike Hubbard of Auburn said he saw Hinshaw vote the electronic machines of two House members who are in Korea this week on an industry-hunting trip. At least four members who were not at the Statehouse Tuesday were recorded as voting "yes" on the bill.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)