When members of Congress expect to be absent from a committee meeting, they will arrange for a colleague to cast their vote by proxy (from a Latin word meaning “to take care of”), or written permission. The chair usually holds proxies for absent members of the majority, and at times a sole member will cast proxies for all the members of the minority. Critics call this procedure “ghost voting” and accuse absent members of not performing their job. However, those who vote by proxy may be at another committee hearing, participating in a floor debate, or conducting some other legislative business. Because of the competing demands on members' time, committees would find it difficult to carry on business without proxy voting. No proxies are allowed in roll call votes on the floor of either the House or Senate, but absent members may “pair” their vote—that is, couple it with that of another member who would have voted the opposite way to show that these two votes would not have changed the outcome.
See also Pair voting
