Unspoken commitment to bloc voting is not open government

Frontiersman editorial board

Is the Alaska Legislature working for Alaskans? When voters elect a representative or senator, are they getting what they voted for?

Recently, House Republicans vowed to reduce the number of closed-door meetings and do away with the contract that required Republican representatives to vote in unison on procedural matters. Those steps have each been presented as steps in the direction of a more ethical and open Legislature.

In truth, Republicans have also said the lack of a contract does not eliminate the expectation of lock-step voting, and Senate Republicans have not agreed to end or even reduce the number of closed-door meetings.

It is not uncommon for political parties, especially majority parties, to vote as a bloc on procedural issues.

The problem in the Alaska Legislature is that, as is often the case, the language defining what is and isn't procedural is not clear.

For instance, when Gov. Frank Murkowski proposed to end the longevity bonus, Republican legislators identified that vote as procedural. Normally, a procedural vote is one that affects the technical aspects of running the Legislature -- such as the scheduling of votes.

When Republican Rep. Bob Lynn was the only Republican to vote with the Democrats, he was stripped of his committee chairmanships.

Lynn had voted his conscience to keep a promise to his constituents, and he was punished for it. His constituents sent him to Juneau to work for them, but the party made it clear he was working for a Republican agenda, no matter what his constituents wanted.

The end of the contract is designed to polish the image of a private club that places party loyalty above loyalty to constituents, but it does little to end the reality. As long as that holds true, voters might as well vote for a party platform and simply let the state delegates send who they will to Juneau. What difference does it make?

The closed-door meetings fall into much the same category. It's no secret that debate on the floor is little more than an exercise in hyperbole for the sake of nest lining and currying favor with voters.

The real debates happen out of our view, and the votes are a formality designed to create the illusion of democracy in a real, working legislative body.

The rules that guide our Legislature are too vague, and the loopholes too numerous. Alaskans deserve better, but are there people in Juneau courageous enough to draft stricter rules and procedures? We'd have to listen at keyholes to find out.