Nonvoting Del. Stacey Plaskett protests that her votes and others don't count
Alexandra Marquez
Stacey Plaskett, a nonvoting Democratic delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, stood after the first roll-call vote to ask why delegates from the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia were not asked to vote for speaker.
Plaskett said that the delegates represent "collectively 4 million Americans" and added, "This body and this nation has a territory and a colonies problem," after the parliamentarian told her that delegates-elect were not eligible to vote for speaker.
"What should have been temporary has now effectively become permanent. We must do something about this," Plaskett said before the parliamentarian ceased to recognize her with time to speak.