The coronavirus is changing the way democracy works in the U.S. Some state legislatures have started meeting by video conference while others have moved to arenas to comply with social distancing requirements. By DavidALieb
FILE - In this March 25, 2020 file photo, Vermont House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, left, wears a mask while talking to a lawmaker in the Vermont house chamber at the Statehouse in Montpelier, Vt. In state capitols across the U.S., lawmakers have ditched decorum and sidestepped traditional public meeting requirements in a rush to pass legislation funding the fight against the coronavirus and aiding residents affected by the widespread shut down of commerce.
“It is an enormous shift, probably the biggest change to Vermont’s democracy since we were founded as a state,” Democratic House Speaker Mitzi Johnson told reporters as the chamber adopted new rules for remote voting. As of Sunday, the virus has infected more than 680,000 people and killed at least 32,000 worldwide, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has about 125,000 cases, more than any other country. Health officials say that for most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and become fatal.
Such actions also can damage the public’s trust in government, said Jane Kirtley, a professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In Pennsylvania this week, most House members took advantage of new rules to stay away from the chamber as they passed legislation delaying the state’s primary elections because of coronavirus concerns. Remote lawmakers messaged or emailed their intended votes to designated colleagues at the Capitol, who told them to a clerk, who entered them into the chamber’s voting system.
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Coronavirus | ReutersA deadly virus spreads around the globe, killing and infecting thousands.
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