A Virginia Delegate delivered a baby girl. Political leaders gave her the option to vote remote.

RICHMOND, Va. — Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling became the first woman in Virginia allowed by political leaders to vote remotely after she delivered her child last week, casting her votes miles from a statehouse historically governed by men.

About a third of state lawmakers are women, garnering 49 out of 140 seats. And of those female legislators, about two dozen have kids under 18, ranging from newborns to teens. But while LeVere Bolling juggled committee meetings, the delegate went into labor. Clerk G. Paul Nardo confirmed she is the first lawmaker granted permission to vote remotely because of childbirth.

''Being a woman, you feel pressured to just always show up,'' she said before giving birth. ''I feel compelled because of the issues — I feel compelled because of the lives that we're all leading and the tumultuous political climate that we're living in to be here. I almost feel this guilt or shame for being pregnant during this time, and I shouldn't, right?''

The Virginia House of Delegates first allowed remote voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic and hosted virtual sessions, whereas the Senate continued to meet in person but allowed members to participate online. This year's House rules allow Democratic House Speaker Don Scott to approve a member to participate electronically to ensure their safety.

He said letting LeVere Bolling vote remotely was a no-brainer.

''We want to live our values,'' Scott said. ''We say we believe in families. We say we want people to participate when they're young when they have something to think about. We don't need all the legislators to be very old and people who have grown children.''

In a body tracing its lineage back four centuries, women only began representing Virginians in 1924. A database of Virginia Delegates shows more than 9,500 men have served the body compared to 123 women. Today, Virginia is one of the states with the highest representation of mothers caring for minors in its statehouse.

Elsewhere, the Colorado House also allows lawmakers to vote remotely for health reasons. But 31 states do not allow remote participation in floor proceedings in either chamber as of 2023, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Experts say the varying policies show that procedural rules were not designed with mothers in mind.

''Proxy voting in Virginia would be a significant step towards modernizing our legislatures,'' Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder of the Vote Mama Foundation, said in a statement. ''However, we need to do more to ensure lawmakers with caregiving responsibilities are fully included in the legislative process.''

Del. Adele McClure had a daughter in October and has spent the session navigating postpartum, pumping breast milk on the House floor and rushing to see her daughter after long days.

''I've had to kind of learn different ways to adapt and adjust to motherhood and postpartum life and healing,'' she said, adding: ''I'm definitely not the same person I was last session.''

Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker said she took her 8-month-old baby with her to the Legislature last year, a challenging situation. She said she hoped opportunities for proxy votes would become normalized, noting discussions in Congress about whether U.S. lawmakers should vote remotely.

''Every single year, we have members who have medical conditions, or every single year, I've seen paramedics called to the House floor for a member,'' she said, adding: ''Health is unpredictable.''

In the House chamber on Thursday, lawmakers debated a tax-related Senate bill previously opposed by the governor. After a spirited debate, lawmakers cast their votes. The clerk spoke into his microphone: ''Delegate LeVere Bolling?''

''Aye,'' LeVere Bolling responded, her voice booming in the chamber's speakers. The bill passed 62-33.

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This story restores full name of Liuba Grechen Shirley.

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.