McKinney - House Legislation

VOTER RIGHTS

The right to vote is the foundation of a democratic system. But voting rights are under threat in this democracy. I believe that it would be a positive step forward if the right to vote were enshrined in the Constitution. Thus I have co-sponsored H.J.Res.28, which proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States affirming that the right to vote cannot and shall not be abridged.

Electronic Voting Machines and Poll-Books

We have a major problem facing our elections process. As witnessed in recent years in multiple elections and in various states, all electronic voting vendors have failed to implement error free and trustworthy elections. Since the 2002 implementation of electronic voting in Georgia, machine failures and error-ridden counts have been documented, but left uncorrected. Electronic poll-books (statewide voter registration databases) have a high potential to disfranchise voters of specific classes and/or races.

Oversight of these systems has been lax and laws have been broken. Congress should work with the EAC to make oversight a priority so that the voting public can regain confidence in the electoral process, and to that end I have co-sponsored the Count Every Vote Act (H.R. 939). Arising out of the debacle in Ohio in the 2004 presidential election, this bill would among other things require voter verification, paper trails to allow manual audits and recounts, mandatory recounts, new security standards and software certification. It would prohibit the use of undisclosed software and of wireless communication devices in voting systems.

Renewal of the Voting Rights Act

The landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act itself has been called the single most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever passed by Congress. Between enactment in 1965 and 1988, the gap between black and white voters in Georgia was reduced from 35% to 7.1%. While we have made progress on this issue, allowing the Voting Rights Act to expire will slow or cease that progress. News reports of African American voter disfranchisement during the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections prove there is much work left to do. Congress should work to renew and enhance the Voting Rights Act, rather than allow it to expire.

Run-Off Voting and Stopping Rampant Redistricting

As an alternative to the endless process of redistricting, I have introduced the Voter Choice Act (H.R. 2690), which would allow states with more than one seat in the House to consolidate districts with individual districts then electing more than one Representative to the House. The Voter Choice Act would also introduce a system of instant run-off voting whereby voters can rank candidates.

Help America Vote Act (HAVA) compliance

January 1, 2006 was the deadline for voting machine vendors to meet with HAVA compliance. Vendor promises of Disabled Voting have proven to be elusive and empty. In Diebold's response to Georgia's Request for Proposal:

"Methods to accommodate voters with disabilities relating to hearing, cognitive abilities, physical mobility and fine motor skills. Providing accessibly challenged voters, regardless of their limitation, a private, independent, and secure method to vote is one of Diebold’s greatest challenges and opportunities. While every disability cannot be addressed at this time, we are finding, on an almost daily basis, methods and mechanisms that bring us ever closer to addressing challenged voters rights to vote in a manner that is responsive to their particular situation."

Diebold is not alone in failing to meet the HAVA requirements for the disabled - none of the vendors have met this requirement. I have co-sponsored the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (H.R. 550), which would amend HAVA with respect to: (1) voter verification and mandatory paper record audit capacity; and (2) accessibility and voter verification of results for individuals with disabilities. This bill would greatly improve both accessibility to polling stations and verification of votes.

Another bill that would amend HAVA is the Victims of Violence Confidentiality Act (H.R. 4225), which would require states to keep confidential the addresses of victims of domestic violence otherwise included in the state's computerized statewide voter registration list.

Voting Rights for Convicted Felons

Georgia returns the voting rights of convicted felons upon completion of their sentence. We believe Congress should work to encourage these rights for all convicted felons upon return as productive members of society. The return of voting rights should be automatic. Congress and the EAC should work together to make these requirements mandatory.