Frustrating (for voters) practice in Tenn. legislature

Here's a Tennessean article discussing a practice in Tennessee where legislators cast votes for other legislators who are not in the chamber. Of course, several legislators assure us, this is only done on "uncontroversial" votes, but "controversial" is in the eye of the beholder. Many votes which you and I consider controversial may not ever be known to us. And you can bet that a legislator will be quick to distance himself from a shadow vote if that vote later becomes "controversial."

And you gotta admire the reference in the article to Speaker Jimmy Naifeh (D) ignoring a member's effort to be recognized for a legitimate motion.