“In a legislative body it is a rule that no member can vote who is not present when the question is put, but ‘pairing,’ which is a type of absentee voting by which a member agrees with a member who would have voted opposite to the first member not to vote, has long been used in Congress and some of the states and has been recognized by the courts. Each house of the legislature, under the authority to make rules for its own governance, has power to recognize what are called ‘pairs.’ ” National Conference of State Legislatures, Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure § 538, at 385 (2000).
pair
pair. Parliamentary law. Two voters, usu. legislators, on opposite sides of an issue who agree that they will abstain if either cannot vote on the issue. • A pair is usu. announced and recorded.
