Passes House:

Bipartisan Election Reform Bill Would Begin Repair of Flawed Elections Process

On December 12, the House of Representatives passed the Help America Vote Act, HR 3295, by a 362-63 vote. Congressman Ben Cardin, a co-sponsor of the bill, called the event a "major victory for the American people in correcting some of the most serious problems that voters encountered during the Presidential Election of 2000." Now the Senate has to deliberate over its own version of the bill, and once one is passed, the two bodies will get together to formulate the final legislation, which will then be submitted to George W. Bush for sign-off.

The House legislation, which had strong bipartisan support, is a mixture of minimum election standards and federal assistance to the states. It would require states to adopt a statewide voter registration system; in-precinct provisional voting; a system for maintaining the accuracy of voter registration records; uniform standards for defining what constitutes a vote on different types of voting equipment; safeguards ensuring that military and overseas voters will have their votes counted; assurances that voters may correct errors; and practical and effective means for voters with disabilities to cast a secret ballot on new voting equipment.

The measure also authorized $2.65 billion for federal election reform, including $400 million for one-time payments to states and counties to replace unreliable punch-card voting systems. The remaining $2.25 billion will be available to help states maintain accurate lists of eligible voters, improve equipment, recruit and train poll workers, improve access for disabled voters and educate voters about their rights.

Congressman Cardin stressed the need to pass election reform legislation in enough time to give the states the resources they need to prepare for the 2004 Presidential Election. "We don't ever want the election of a president to rest on a hanging chad. We have an obligation to make sure that every vote is counted and that it's counted correctly."

HR 3295 was endorsed by the National Commission on Federal Election Reform, which is chaired by former Presidents Ford and Carter. It also was endorsed by the National Conference os State Legislatures, National Association of Counties, and the National Association of Secretaries of State.