Democratic Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett disrupted the floor vote Friday as she raged about non-representatives not having the ability to vote for the next speaker.
Plaskett disrupted the speaker vote Friday to submit a “parliamentary inquiry” about U.S. territories not being called to vote for the speakership. The clerk explained that delegates-elect and the resident commissioner-elect are not eligible to vote for the speaker, and that only representatives-elect are qualified to cast a ballot.
“I note that the names of the representatives from the American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia were not called, representing collectively 4 million Americans,” Plaskett said. “Mr. Speaker, collectively the largest per capita of veterans in this country. I ask why they were not called.”
“Delegates-elect and the resident commissioner-elect are not qualified to vote,” the clerk replied. “Representatives-elect are the only ones qualified to vote in the election of a speaker, as provided in Section 36 of the House Rules and Manual, the speaker is elected by a majority of the members-elect voting by surname.”
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Plaskett then raged about the U.S. having an alleged “territories and colonies problem,” ignoring the clerk’s calls for order. Her microphone was then cut in order for the voting process to proceed.
“And Mr. Speaker, this body and this nation has a territories and a colonies problem,” Plaskett said after the clerk explained the rules. “What was supposed to be temporary has now effectively become permanent. We must do something about this problem so that these 4 million Americans … But I have a voice!”
The delegate stopped speaking and returned to her seat once her microphone had been shut off.
House Speaker Mike Johnson narrowly obtained the votes necessary to retain his position as speaker despite having the tightest reelection margin in over 100 years.
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