Nancy Pelosi urged to allow members of congress to vote remotely after not following public health guidelines

Members of Congress are urging Nancy Pelosi to allow them to vote remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

More than two dozen members have signed a bipartisan letter asking the house speaker and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to allow them to cast their votes without having to be on the House floor.

“Tonight, we ask that you bring to the floor a simple rule change that would permit remote voting for Members of Congress during this national public health emergency. We in Congress are asking businesses, schools, [and] local governments to execute strong plans to ensure continuity of essential services: Congress should be no exception. … We are undermining our bipartisan message to the American people when we come together [on] the crowded House floor to vote,” the letter read.

They also included a photo featuring 430 members of congress and approximately 100 staffers clustered together on the House floor. The image is inconsistent with the guidelines made by public health officials. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a request for people to practice social distancing.

On Monday, the White House announced new guidelines for the next two weeks wherein gatherings in groups of more than 10 people should be avoided. Discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits are also discouraged.

Last Sunday, Pelosi also encouraged Capitol Hill employees to promote social distancing by working from home and avoiding crowded places. Social distancing may also be practiced within the confines of a home. As such, it is possible that she would also approve the request made by the members of congress.

According to BuzzFeed News, the members of congress are currently at home for an entire week due to the latest White House guidelines. But they are expected to return to vote on a third coronavirus bill stimulus bill next week.

As such, they want to continue staying at home to prevent the further spread of the deadly virus and to make sure that won’t also get infected.