NC Lawmaker Fracks Up Her Vote
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(NEW YORK) — A veto by North Carolina’s Democratic governor was overridden Monday night because a Democrat in the state House cast the deciding vote, by accident.
The lawmaker, Becky Carney, accidentally pushed a green button at her desk voting for the override, instead of a different button. Under state rules, legislators can change their votes if they make a mistake, but only if the changed vote wouldn’t affect the result.
In Carney’s case, she was the 72nd person to vote for the override, the exact number needed to do so.
WRAL notes:
Just after the vote, Carney’s voice could be heard on her microphone, saying, “Oh, my gosh. I pushed green.”
Because of Carney’s blunder, a fracking bill that Gov. Beverly Perdue had vetoed is now law.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio