Reeves gets same result by voting or not

JACKSON — The lieutenant governor, as presiding officer of the Senate, gets to vote only to break ties in the 52-member chamber.

Republican Tate Reeves, who is in his first year as lieutenant governor, got to cast a vote earlier this week. Reeves voted against a motion to return to committee a bill that mandates school cannot start until the third Monday in August.

The motion was deadlocked 25-25. Reeves voted against the motion to recommit, which was a motion that would have killed the bill.

In reality, Reeves did not need to vote. On a tie vote, the motion was defeated.

In a sense, Reeves’ vote would have been meaningful only if he had voted for the motion to recommit. But Reeves was able to go on record in support of mandating a later start for school — a position supported by Gulf Coast tourism groups.

In reality whether Reeves voted or not, the outcome of the legislation rested in his hands. So if he supported the legislation, it made sense for him to vote as he did.