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DELEGATE HANSON: Mr. Chairman, I do not beleive
that the problem of attendance will be affected very much
o ne way or the other by this proposal. The Congress of
the United States, when there is anything that is important
to vote on. The attendance is very high.
I think that the good attendance that we have
had in the Maryland General Assembly will continue, whether
we have this amendment or whether we do not have this
amendment.
The problem that exists with requiring constitu-
tional majority for the passage of a bill is, as Chairman
Gallaher explained, that an absence is counted as a no
vote.
One of the most recent studies that has been
done of legislatures throughout the country, both Federal
legislature and the legislatures of 50 states, called the
American Legislative process, by Professors Keefe and Ogol,
reports on the studies that have been done of voting re-
quirements in legislature. They point out that the number
,
of votes needed for passage of bills varies from state to
state, with about tWo-thirds requiring a majority of the