Dems Strip GOP Lawmaker of Voting Rights Over Refusal to Wear Mask or Show Proof of Vaccination
A Republican lawmaker was stripped of her voting rights and another was escorted from the Nevada Assembly floor after they refused to comply with the statehouse mask mandate.
GOP Assemblywomen Annie Black and Jill Dickman did not wear masks on the Assembly floor and declined to say whether they had received vaccines on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.
Under Nevada statehouse rules, lawmakers can be in the building without a face mask as long as they have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
“We were informed that there were persons who had not confirmed they were vaccinated and would not wear masks, so they didn’t comply with our rules,” Democratic Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson said.
Those who break the rule “shall not vote or speak on the floor or committee except to explain and apologize for the breach,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Dickman was escorted off the Assembly floor after she refused to provide staff with proof she had been vaccinated.
“I refuse to share my private med info, particularly with politicians,” she tweeted in response to the incident.
Just escorted off Assembly floor 4 not wearing a mask even after CDC guidelines change. I refuse to share my private med info, particularly with politicians. No vaccine passports in US or NV except the people’s house. Ridiculous! It’s time to stop making COVID a political issue!!
— Jill Dickman (@JillDickmanNV) May 20, 2021
The Assembly voted along party lines to strip Black of her right to vote or address the chamber until she apologized for violating the rules.
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“The first thing the Democrats did was immediately vote to strip me of my right to vote on bills or speaking on the floor,” Black said in a statement.
She added that she had not been given the opportunity to respond to the accusation against her prior to the vote.
“A verdict and sentence without trial or defense!” she said.
She added in a tweet, “This is WAY out of control!”
Today in Speaker @JasonFrierson‘s Nevada State Assembly: Barred one Republican from Chamber for not presenting a “vaccine passport” (@JillDickmanNV) & stripped me of voting rights for not producing a “vaccine passport.” This is WAY out of control!
— Assemblywoman Annie Black (@RealAnnieBlack) May 20, 2021
The vote to strip Black of her voting rights came two days after the first-term lawmaker challenged the continued mask requirement in light of relaxed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All Hell’s About to Break Loose Unless I Apologize. I Won’t. Here’s Why…https://t.co/u8uMsoRQEk
“Speaker @JasonFrierson threatened to block me from voting on bills on behalf of my constituents –including my ‘adopted’ constituents!– unless I apologize and comply. I will not.” pic.twitter.com/UvNVG8u7ZY
— Assemblywoman Annie Black (@RealAnnieBlack) May 19, 2021
Black has said the CDC is using its guidelines “to coerce people into getting the jab.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
