Speaker's Race: Liveblog

6:03 pm
Here comes the record vote with Craddick as the only nominee for Speaker.
Results: 121 - 27. Craddick is back for two more years.

Wrapping this up now - comments welcome.

5:58 pm
Speeches are still going on.

5:51 pm
Patrick Rose just seconded the nomination, in what was actually the third second. Now we're on to the fourth second. Also, Kuff points to a Statesman blog that asks if Paul Burka's call of the race last night ruined Pitts' chances.

5:34 pm
Dunnam requested that HR 35 be reconsidered so that they don't have to do the whole paper ballot thing. Also, Pitts did the classy thing and avoided going to the end of it all and potentially trashing supporters on the way down. Talton is letting everyone know that he knows what's right and wrong, and something about the people's work. Now they're electing.

5:26 pm
Pitts just threw it to Craddick. So much for that idea.

5:25 pm
Jim Pitts is talking. He's about to drop out.

5:24 pm
The resolution is... withdrawn?

5:20 pm
Clerk is reading the resolution, which is mostly about nominating speeches and candidate addresses.

5:16 pm
One more amendment remains, apparently, to HR 36. George thinks it is concerning a limit on debate. Waiting on copies, just like this afternoon. HR 36 seems to have now been distributed - just waiting on people to sit down.

5:06
HR 35: Resolution is adopted.

5:02 pm
Merritt's amendment is up for tabling via Hartnett. This may be Pitts' last chance. Motion is tabled.

5:00 pm
This is in fact an amendment to count and then destroy the votes.
4:54 pm
Debate on the third amendment is underway. Tommy Merritt is talking about God, Iraq, and Churchill. I'm still not sure what his amendment is about but I think it is in favor of voting in secret.

4:48 - 4:50 pm
Geren's amendment is tabled. The vote is now on Hartnett's amendment, providing for the immediate release of names and votes. Hartnett's amendment passes, 96 - 51. Craddick will likely remain Speaker of the House.

4:44 pm
Someone tried to compare the Speaker's Race to the Alamo. This was met with hoots and hollers. Hartnett moves to table Guerin's amendment. Voting now.

4:36 pm
Not that I'm an alarmist or anything, but this all seems really bad for Craddick. Points of order are sometimes a display of weakness, and King getting spanked on the point of order is bad. They are up to 3/3 arguments now. Hartnett is making the slippery slope argument, and claiming the public deserves to know right away. This argument, also, sounds futile.

4:32 pm
Williams just announced that if the Geren amendment passes, the Chair would not grant a record vote regardless of if three members called for one. So that looks like a loser for Craddick. Prepare for more points of order.

4:30 pm
Who wants to take bets on how many more points of order there will be?

4:25 pm
Not exactly! Now Williams is saying that even if the secret ballot amendment is passed, if three members request a record vote, a record vote will be taken. So I guess I should have said, very specifically, Loser on Point Of Order: King; Winner: Craddick. Williams is conferring but it seems like that's the way it will go.

4:12 pm
Looks like King's point of order is defeated. The secret ballot is allowed, because the vote is not a yea or nay, and general provisions must yield primacy to special provisions. More or less, Article 3, Section 12 doesn't apply to the election of Speakers. Secret ballots have been used fifty times, so the precedent is totally there. However, the only written opinion about secret ballots versus three members calling for a record vote states that three members calling for a public vote might override the call for a secret ballot, but that parliamentarian opinion was written out of session, so it is not as strong as it might be. The vote for Speaker is not required to be vive voce, so Article 3, Section 12 does not necessarily apply, as it presupposes a vive voce vote. The Constitution allows, but does not require, a secret ballot. Winner: Geren

4:09 pm
Back to action - well, sort of. Members were called back to their seats. I'm trying to get confirmation on the Craddick stiff arm to adjourn. The Clerk is about to read the opinion on King's Point of Order.

4:03 pm
The Chron Blog has it that Craddick is trying to adjourn for the day without a vote being taken. That sounds bad for him.

3:45 pm
20 minutes into the research on the point of order. Not much going on.

3:25 pm
More anonymous info, and I'm paraphrasing: the fact that Craddick's supporters are wrangling on points of order in an attempt to kill this amendment is a good sign. I think all the delays, including the points of order, are at least indicative of some nerves, if not something more crippling going on with Hartnett, Craddick, and King.

3:21 pm
I just received the following anonymous comment: "Republicans are so bad at governing this state, they can't even elect themselves efficiently." Zinger! Hartnett's rant about double pledgers leaves no doubt - knives are out.

3:17 pm
Clerk is reading Geren's amendment, which he calls a "Speaker Protection" amendment. Geren is saying that delaying the release of the vote until after Committee assignments is better for everyone, because no one would be able to say "I was put on committee X because of how I voted in the Speaker's Race." King is back at it with his Article 3, Section 12 business.

3:11 pm
Talton's tirade against Hartnett is getting some rehash action, discussing member protection. Back to a literal discussion of lists and pledges: His Hartnett saying that the losing side deserves to get back benched, which ever side that ends up being? Hartnett begs off, saying again that he's referring to a very small number of people seeking to "hide" and that he simply wants to uphold the Constitution.

3:05 pm
Hartnett, in an argument over what way would be most fair, just stated that he "has no interest in protecting double pledgers." With a lot of additional talk about what we owe the people of Texas. Things are getting contentious. Branch is comparing this vote to other votes on other issues, making a claim to political will, duty, etc.

2:57 pm
The bone of contention is finally upon us - when will the public know how the members have voted? Hartnett is explaining his amendment, which immediately releases the voting record, rather than providing any sort of time buffer. Hartnett just cited Paul Burka's support of his proposed method.

2:56 pm
George has opened his own thread on my suggestion, due to his very strong opinions about the butchering of parliamentary procedure going on in the State House.

2:51 pm
Secretary Williams just asserted the finding that the Open Records Act doesn't apply to the matters at hand, ostensibly allowing for a secret ballot, unless some other thing which might prevent it is brought up.

2:47 pm
I'm hearing that the two amendments that made it are for the votes and associated names to be released either A) immediately or B) after committee assignments are complete. Eiland asks a question about a case concerning the Third Court of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court, opening the way for Secretary Williams to crack a joke about how they all probably "got bored and left".

2:44 pm
Fans of legislative process in our office are currently wishing for some sort of bare-knuckle brawl to replace the coin toss. Things are quiet again, for the moment.

2:42 pm
Amendment football - two amendments have been offered, neither has primacy, so they're actually going to toss a coin to see which one goes first. If one passes it cuts the other one off.

2:38 pm
Vince from Capitol Annex has the goods on what is and is not allowed via the Texas Constitution. Secret ballots have been fine since 1876.

2:36 pm
The Secretary will not entertain a motion to delay the election of the Speaker until Thursday. Which is good, although it may take that long anyways to get anything done. Senfronia gets denied.

2:27 - 2:33 pm
Representative Phil King keeps pressing his question on a call for a public vote, and he's been chastised for violating parliamentary procedure. The question on calling for a public vote will apparently be a point of order, brought up later. This shouldn't be much a road block if the provision actually exists to override any amendment with a call for a public vote, but George and I are both looking for the cited passage in the rules, but we're having trouble digging it up. Now the check goes out to make sure all amendments are in - still waiting on one more.

2:19 pm
Still on HR 35. If only there were a live feed into our office, where a spirited discussion on parliamentary procedure is going on. Still waiting on amendments, still waiting to see if the amendments will be presented, or voted on, or get up to the front desk. A discussion is currently under way concerning whether any member may call for a public record vote on any matter before the house. Time to hit the books and look it up.

2:11 pm
George Nassar, our managing editor, just pointed out that HR 33, 34, and 35 are effectively a Division of Question on HR 1, which never came to the floor under that title. I am properly chastised. I am also getting more and more convinced that the secrecy of the ballot will have a serious (if not decisive) effect on the race. An awful lot of stalling going on. Again.

2:07 pm
Current discussion is on when votes would be made public - some amendments will make the votes secret forever, some will hide them until after committee assignments, some will make them immediately public. Expect serious horsetrading.

1:59 pm
Getting ready to vote (finally) on the voting procedures, but first, some sort of interruption, by "former House members sent over by the Lieutenant Governor to let the House know the Senate is ready." Chisum details the possibility of amendments, which are coming so long as members get them up to the front. So these procedures won't necessarily go unchanged.

1:34 pm
34 is a housekeeping resolution, clearing the floor of everyone but members, family members, and press. Adopted.

1:33 pm
I'm getting reports that these delays are unusual, and could possibly signal worry on Craddick's part.

1:32 pm
Now we get into voting procedures - still waiting on copies.

1:09 - 1:11 pm
Now everyone has a copy. It seems like HR1 might have legs without much contention, or else I doubt it would have gotten to the floor. I wonder if this is a journey into credibility for Craddick's speakership - if he wins on a secret ballot, he wins on the turf where he was supposed to lose. Nominating procedures adopted.

1:05 pm
Almost every member has a copy of what I presume is HR1. Almost.

12:51 pm
The motion to adopt the rules of the 79th session as temporary rules for the 80th passes without objection, only inquiry. Now we're waiting on a Resolution to be "scanned and copied" which we are assured could take several minutes.

12:42 pm
We have the feed, and the House stands at ease to clear the middle aisle and get down to business. Not much has happened yet, except for the swearing in. The vote on House Resolution 1, which would provide signed secret ballots, should prove interesting if not pivotal.