Election Reform--Hon. Patrick J. Kennedy

ELECTION REFORM -- HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY (Extensions of Remarks - January 25, 2005)

HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY OF RHODE ISLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2005

* Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of overall election reform. What we are doing today is not--contrary to what some would have you believe--trying to change the past, although as long as we are considering the past, I would suggest that today's proceedings are taking place 4 years too late. In any case, today's activity is not an attempt to overturn the results of the 2004 Presidential Election. Rather, we are here today to draw attention to the multitude of people who were unable to fulfill their fundamental, constitutional right to vote in this election, for a variety of reasons. This is about securing our system of democracy--not about ``sour grapes.'' It is unacceptable for any American citizen to be disenfranchised, either by intimidation or a misleading ballot. Every person who is legally registered to vote should be allowed to exercise this essential right and duty of citizenship. Members of Congress should be disturbed by the evidence that tens of thousands of voters, predominantly from minority and Democratic precincts, had to wait hours or were disenfranchised altogether due to unprecedented long lines, expected challenges, get-out-the-vote disinformation, electronic voting irregularities and questionable practices in tallying provisional ballots and completing the recount. This must spur us to action, to accomplish effective, bipartisan electoral reform--the kind we should already have implemented following the 2000 Presidential Election.

* I look forward to hearing the outcome of the ongoing GAO investigation into the reported irregularities in our latest Presidential Election, including possible voter intimidation and fraud. We must continue our legislative efforts, following in the footsteps of The Help America Vote Act, which became law in October 2002, to fulfill our responsibility as elected officials to ensure the right of every individual citizen to have their vote counted. We must support the Election Assistance Commission as it responds quickly to reports of irregularities and possible fraud in the 2004 Presidential Election by holding hearings on voting systems standards, registration databases, and provisional balloting. We also must address allegations of inaccurate results from electronic voting machines by supporting legislation to require such machines to produce a paper trail that can be used in the event of a recount. We must continue to act this session to ensure an election process that, in 2008, will maintain integrity as well as the public's confidence.

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