Rep. Becky Carney If all went as expected, House Republicans would have failed Monday in their effort to override Gov. Perdue's veto of legislation that allows fracking of natural gas. The veto was successful by one vote, but one of those votes was a mistake. Democratic Representative Becky Carney of Charlotte says she accidentally pressed the wrong button. When she realized her mistake, she called out to House Speaker Tillis to change her vote. "I kept my light on and I walked up to the front. Several people were standing over, looking over at the vote tally. And I told him I would like to be recognized to change my vote. I had hit the button by mistake. And he said you can't change your vote because the outcome would affect the vote." Representative Paul Stam then made a motion which prevented Carney from having the option to change her vote. Carney takes responsibility, but also says it was a really long day. She got distracted when she and a colleague were discussing the speaker's decision to shut down debate on the vote. "We were voting and as I looked down after I had voted, I saw the green light and I reached over to grab the red light and they had already locked the votes in. And it was just a moment of you know shock and ok, what do I do? And then I started the proceedings to change my vote." Carney has received a mix of support and disappointment from voters. This was the first term representatives have been able to change their votes.
Mistaken Vote Passes Fracking Law
