Lack of quorum on panel delays election bills

The House Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs committee -- which only last week saw its membership changed -- failed to attract enough lawmakers to vote on a pair of presidential election bills, including one pushed by Northern Kentucky high school students.

Rep. Darryl Owens, D-Louisville and the chairman of the panel, apologized to the Lloyd High School contingent that drafted a bill sponsored by Rep. Adam Koenig, R-Erlanger, that would carve up how Kentucky's eight electoral college votes are distributed. Instead of all eight going to the presidential candidate that wins Kentucky's popular vote, a candidate would receive one electoral vote for each of the six congressional districts he or she wins. The remaining two electoral votes would be awarded to the statewide popular vote winner.

That's the same method Maine and Nebraska use.

Cory Howell, a junior from Lloyd, told the panel that Kentucky distributed its electoral votes in that way until 1824. He said such a system could help attract presidential candidates, who have tended to ignore Kentucky in recent presidential general elections.

"Increased campaigning would lead to increased awareness which would lead to increased voter turnout," Howell said.

Rep. Mike Harmon, R-Junction City, said he liked that plan better than one presented Tuesday morning by Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, D-Lexington, that would add Kentucky to a list of states that would agree to deciding the presidential race by the national popular vote instead of the electoral college system, in which the winner of states receive a chunk of votes proportional to the state's voting population.

But alas, neither proposal presented at the 8:30 a.m. meeting were voted upon in the committee, which couldn't muster the necessary seven members to constitute a quorum.

This comes a week after House Speaker Jody Richards tossed Rep. Dottie Sims, D-Horse Cave, off that panel after she changed her mind to oppose Richards' preferred version of the casino bill. Richards replaced Sims with two Democrats, Reps. Tim Firkins, D-Louisville, and John Will Stacy, D-West Liberty.

Firkins, a member of the House Education Committee that was meeting at the same time, arrived to Tuesday's meeting late. Stacy, who was not on a competing panel, was a no-show.

Committee member and Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Louisville, left early to attend a leadership meeting. Fellow panel member Rob Wilkey, D-Scottsville and the Democratic whip, missed the meeting even though he was slated to present a campaign finance bill. Wilkey also was called to that 9 a.m. leadership meeting.

The other two who didn't attend were Rep. Kevin Bratcher, R-Louisville and Rep. Joe Fischer, R-Fort Thomas.

- Ryan Alessi