Two Moms Crossed The Aisle To Push Forward New Parents’ Right To Vote Remotely

In February, Brittany Petterson, a United States Congresswoman representing Colorado and new mom, flew from her home in Colorado to Washington D.C. with her 4-week-old son in tow to vote on a major budget bill while on maternity leave. She was just the thirteenth congressperson to give birth while in office.

“Congress makes no accommodations for new parents,” she wrote on her website in January. “So while I’m recovering and taking care of my newborn at this critical time, it's incredibly unfair that my constituents will not have a voice in Congress until I am physically able to return to Washington. No Member should have to choose between caring for their newborn and representing their constituents.”

Florida representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican who had a baby last year, agreed. The two worked together to create a bill that would allow new parents to vote remotely in the 12 weeks following the birth of a child. The resolution applies to lawmakers who have given birth, are pregnant and unable to travel safely, or have a serious medical condition. It also applies to those whose spouses are pregnant or giving birth.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R, LA) has decried proxy voting as “unconstitutional” and a “Pandora’s Box” that would compromise the integrity of Congress. But Luna — who has accused her Republican colleagues of attempting to persuade her away from the bill with quid-pro-quo committee positions and threats — and Pettersen found allies in House Democrats, and attempted to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

Johnson persisted in his opposition, and even took the unprecedented step of designing a special rule to prevent the vote.

“I can tell you we have a long way to go to make [Congress] accessible to young families like mine,” Pettersen said on the House floor in her successful plea to block the special rule. “It is unfathomable that in 2025 we have not modernized Congress to address these very unique challenges that members face.”

Ultimately, nine members of his own party voted alongside Democrats to block Johnson’s attempt at obstruction. Still, the resolution did not come to a vote.

“Let me just make this clear, that rule being brought down means that we can't have any further action on the floor this week,” Johnson told reporters. It is a categorization Luna vehemently denies and does indeed to be a mischaracterization of Johnson’s options to move forward with new business.

Next steps, both on this resolution and business as usual in the House, remain unclear.

Luna and Pettersen both have expressed both pride and frustration in their efforts, speaking together on the steps of Congress.

“We worked as a team,” Luna said. “And I think today is a pretty historical day for the entire conference. It’s showing that the body has decided that parents deserve a voice in Washington.”

When asked what message she would send to Republican leadership, Pettersen replied cheekily,

“Don’t f*ck with moms.” She continued, “Speaker Johnson pulled out all the stops and people continued to stand with us. We’re changing the way that Congress works, making sure that moms and parents have a voice.”