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This is The Players, your update on who's who in Illinois politics and what they're up to. We encourage you to comment on Illinois leadership.Amanda Vinicky curates this blog that will provide follow-up to full-length stories, links to other reports of interest, statistics, and conversations with you about the issues and stories.

Why They Walk: When Legislators Don't Vote

Amanda Vinicky

Look at the photo on this post; it's the board of the Illinois House after representatives voted on House Speaker Michael Madigan's version of Gov. Bruce Rauner's local right-to-work zones. 

Zero votes in favor.

Seventy-two against (including one Republican, Springfield's Rep. Raymond Poe). 

But 37 "present" votes.  And nine members not voting at all.  Two - Reps. David Reis, R-Willow Hill and Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake - didn't vote because they had excused absences, and weren't in Springfield that day. 

The other seven (all Republicans, in this case) "took a walk." 

Give the latest episode of "The Players" a listen to hear about what it means to take a stroll during session, and why legislators - even, sometimes, high-ranking ones - do it.  

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.
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