House Speaker Tim Moore recently announced his plan to change long-held rules in the General Assembly to allow himself the ability to unilaterally and without warning call a veto override vote. This is part of a repeated pattern from Republicans both in state and nationally that prioritizes power and control over good governance and the democratic process.

• But it’s not just fairness at stake. Speaker Moore wants to change the rules so he can swiftly usher in his far-right agenda that curtails our personal freedoms and individual rights, including reproductive rights, voting rights, the right to a sound education, and more.

• Tim Moore has repeatedly shown that he is more interested in consolidating his own power than governing. This rules change, which allows him to unilaterally and without warning call a veto override vote, is just meant to enlarge his own stature. 

• If Republicans were acting in good faith on behalf of the people they were elected to represent, they would not need to resort to “gotcha” tactics and cheating. The rule changes proposed by Republicans are designed so they can call votes when a representative goes to the bathroom, is sick, or has a family emergency. It’s juvenile and embarrassing.