BOSTON- In a unanimous vote on Friday, May 2nd, the House of Representatives voted to change the current roll call system, creating a bipartisan commission to propose a new system that will be in place for the next session. Representative Mary S. Rogeness has been appointed as a member of this commission. The issue of a secure voting system was raised last month after a member was recorded as voting in Boston while traveling in St. Croix. “This new voting system is an important part of the ongoing modernization of legislative operations,” said Rep. Rogeness. “I am honored to work on the project.” The work of the commission will bring a much needed upgrade to a system that is more than 20 years old. “There is no doubt our roll call voting system needs to be upgraded and I am pleased the members of the House agree the integrity of our voting system must be assured,” said Speaker DiMasi. “I am hopeful this bipartisan commission will come up with a system to ensure that all votes are properly recorded and, at all times, secure.” The nine-person special commission will include three appointees by the Speaker DiMasi, three appointees by House Minority Leader Jones, the House Clerk, House Counsel and the Chief Information Officer of the General Court. The inclusion of equal members from both parties is unusual in the heavily Democratic legislature, and it demonstrates the non-partisan nature of the task at hand. The newly formed commission must form their recommendations by the end of July in order to implement a secure roll call system by the end of the 186th session of the General Court, which will be seated in January and closes at the end of 2010. | 
