. @HouseAdm_Dems just issued a staff report that concludes "operable and secure technology exists to permit the House to conduct remote voting." Once Chair Lofgren certifies the tech exists, @RulesDemocrats Chair @RepMcGovern must publish implementing regs

https://cha.house.gov/sites/democrats.cha.house.gov/files/2020_Feasibility%20of%20Remote%20Voting%20in%20the%20US_v4%20(1).pdf

We've been following the issue of remote deliberations closely, pushing for it since March and tracking developments in the U.S. here and abroad. This is our best summary of the issues at stake, with @marcidale https://thebulwark.com/in-this-emergency-let-congress-work-remotely/

If you want to dig deeper, here's our compendium of everything we have found w/r/t remote deliberations in the US, in the states, and overseas, including briefings we held (including with many fmr members of Congress) https://www.continuityofcongress.org/ 

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to get worse, which elevates our fears that Congress may become unable to meet in person. We view the proxy voting procedures put in place in the House as a half-measure, as they are slow and impede amendments and debate on the floor.

Providing for fully remote deliberations, even if such a tool never needs to be implemented, is a wise insurance policy against circumstances where members are no longer physically able to travel to Washington, D.C., or where exposure to illness renders physical presence unsafe.

The Senate, unfortunately, uses a system of hybrid hearings, but has never updated its rules. That means that a majority of Senators must be physically present to report a measure out of committee or to conduct business on the floor (should quorum be requested.)

I wish the House had moved faster on implementing fully remote voting regulations. We have seen some Republican support for fully remote floor deliberations even as they stand largely together against proxy voting.

It is our view that the House and the Senate, under the Constitution, have the power to chose and change how they vote so long as every Member is afforded the equal opportunity to do so. We *need* Congress to be able to act and it must be able to do so robustly.

There are analogues in the states and abroad where fully remote voting has been implemented. The question of whether this is technologically feasible has been settled, not just by this report, but as well by the testimony of opponents of implementing remote voting.

We worry about the health, safety, and security of our Democracy, and that includes our elected officials, staff, members of the press, and official visitors. We will watch to see what regulations are put in place to make sure they respect everyone's rights, including R's.

For the political reactions on this news, @BresPolitico has an interesting thread. https://twitter.com/BresPolitico/status/1326708240579764225