As Congress tables proxy voting, state lawmakers seek solutions for
parents who serve in office
[April 14, 2025]
By ISABELLA VOLMERT
As a bipartisan measure to allow new parents in Congress to vote by
proxy has failed, some lawmakers hope their states can find solutions to
bring and keep younger women in state capitols.
Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who had been leading the
congressional push, said she reached an compromise with U.S. House
Speaker Mike Johnson last week that does not include proxy voting.
Without a precedent in Congress, lawmakers remain hopeful that
statehouses can change instead. Parents say proxy voting would allow
women valuable and sometimes medically necessary time to recover and
care for their infants at a moment when childcare, families and
affordability are front and center for American politics.
“This should be about supporting families and supporting lawmakers who
prioritize the issues of families,” said Mallory McMorrow, who was the
second sitting Michigan state senator to give birth. “It should not be a
partisan issue.”
Parenthood and policy making
Voting by proxy means a lawmaker casts a vote on behalf of another who
is absent. Another option that has been used at the state level is
remote voting, in which a member calls in to cast their vote.
Like in Congress, state legislative sessions can run late into the
night, commutes home can be long and members stay away from home for
several days a week.
There was no proxy or maternity leave policy for lawmakers when McMorrow
had her daughter in 2021, but she took 12 weeks anyway. McMorrow, who is
running for U.S. Senate, said technology exists to allow voting from
afar. It would be useful as well for active duty military members and in
medical emergencies.
Nebraska State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh said the way legislatures operate
shows state government was not built with women in mind. It was novel
when she brought her baby to the floor in 2019 and had to push for a
designated nursing room, both of which are now normalized.
Advocates for women’s representation say lawmaking is so hard on mothers
with young families many choose not to pursue public office. While the
numbers vary by state, only a third of all state lawmakers are women.
“We want people in office who understand what most American families are
dealing with," said Liuba Grechen Shirley, CEO and founder of Vote Mama,
a group that supports mothers running for office.
Pandemic changes
Many states allowed remote participation during the COVID-19 pandemic
and have since rolled back those practices. Others have kept the
provisions.
The Minnesota and Colorado House chambers allow remote participation in
limited circumstances, including health issues and the birth of child,
while Minnesota's Senate allows remote voting for any reason with
permission from leadership. Earlier this year, Virginia leadership
allowed a lawmaker to cast votes from afar after she gave birth in
February.
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Virginia Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling stands on the floor of the
Virginia House of Delegates in Richmond, Va., during the 2025
legislative session on Jan. 13, 2025. (Amanda Maglione via AP, File)
Virginia Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling, who is currently on maternity
leave, called the flexibility “invaluable” and was disheartened by
the outcome in Congress.
“I am glad that Democrats in the Commonwealth of Virginia choose to
stand with families, as we always have, to set a better example for
our friends in D.C.,” she said in a statement.
Opponents of the practice such as Johnson, the Republican House
speaker, say lawmaking requires participation in person. Some fear
the option would result in too many lawmakers missing session.
Johnson agreed to formalize a “pairing system” long used in Congress
in which one member who is physically present in the House cancels
out the vote of someone who is absent. Arkansas' Legislature has a
similar system.
Rules made at the federal level have some precedent on practice in
statehouses. Since the Federal Election Commission allowed
congressional candidates to spend their campaign dollars on child
care in 2018, 39 states have followed suit, according to Vote Mama.
“At the root of this, there just aren’t enough moms in office to
push for these changes,” Grechen Shirley said.
‘You do miss a lot by not being there’
Hawaii House minority Leader Lauren Matsumoto said she was denied
the chance to vote remotely when she gave birth to her daughter in
late 2019. Shortly thereafter, the pandemic caused the Legislature
to temporarily move to a remote system anyway.
Reinstating that practice would be useful for the many young parents
joining the Legislature, but Matsumoto would want a system that
safeguards against abuse.
“In Hawaii, we’re separated by water,” said Matsumoto, a Republican.
“There’s different reps that have to fly in. So what works for
Hawaii might not be the same for Oklahoma."
Many proponents also want male lawmakers to be with their families
during the birth of a child.
Former Missouri state Rep. Peter Merideth had to speed home
occasionally during his tenure after his young daughter developed
epilepsy. While video calling into committees or voting remotely
would not have solved all his family needs, it would have helped.
“I would not want my representative to start doing that on a regular
basis. I do think you miss a lot by not being there,” Merideth said.
“But I wouldn’t want them to have to choose between a crisis
situation at home and being able to be there for those of us that
voted for them."
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Associated Press writers Olivia Diaz, Andrew DeMillo and Steve
Karnowski contributed to this report.
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