Nearly lost in the melee at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday and the ongoing repercussions of that incident was a contentious scene on the floor of the state Senate the day before.

According to reports, a dispute broke out when the Republican majority blocked Democratic incumbent Sen. Jim Brewster from being sworn in because his challenger, Nicole Ziccarelli, has disputed the results in the close election.

The race’s results had been certified by the state. However, legislators have not indicated how long it will take to review Ziccarelli’s challenge or how long the seat will be vacant.

The scene quickly became even more chaotic and led to shouting between both parties, and after Lt. Gov. John Fetterman insisted that Brewster be seated, a motion was voted on to remove Fetterman from the chamber.

It was also reported that several legislators were not wearing masks.

Although most people would likely have an opinion on which side they’d support in this dispute, picking a side is not the point of this editorial.

It’s obviously unrealistic to think that in our partisan age there won’t be heated arguments in the state capitol on various pieces of legislation that come before the two chambers.

But there is one issue on which everyone needs to get on the same page. Every legislator representing the state needs to be in agreement that having a functional government is the objective, and that partisan squabbles are getting in the way of this objective.

Look at what happened at the U.S. Capitol last week. That dangerous incident threatened our government’s ability to function. Five people died as a result, and it could have been much more deadly had it gone on longer.

Whether we’re talking about elections or any other legislation that sets guidelines on how the state operates, have healthy debates and then pass laws that set clear rules. Then follow those rules.

If at some point those rules become dated or out of touch with modern sensibilities, pass new laws to replace them.

But in the meantime, representatives should come to an agreement with their colleagues from across the aisle that the chaos Americans saw last week is unacceptable, and that having a functional government is a goal that should be shared by all who make a choice to run for office.

— NCD