| WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Vice Chair of the Democratic
Caucus Special Committee on Election Reform, issued the following statement
on the release of the Committee’s comprehensive report on election reform.
Schakowsky is the author of H.R. 1004, the Provisional Voting Rights Act
of 2001. The bill permits individuals whose names do not appear on registration
list to vote after written affirmation before an election official at the
polling place; calls for provisional votes to be transferred immediately
to an appropriate official for verification; and requires that provisional
votes be counted unless the state or local election officials can prove
that those voters should not be allowed to cast their votes.
“Last
December, after the disaster of the 2000 election, no American could have
imagined that nearly a year later Congress would still have not taken any
action to fix our election system. No one would have thought that
after the disenfranchisement of millions of voters, the federal government
would do nothing to reform the system.
“Democrats
have been calling for action since last year and have been working since
then to pass meaningful reform. We have concrete proposals, including mine,
the Provisional Voting Rights Act, which would guarantee the right to vote
to all eligible Americans, and others like the Equal Protection Voting
Rights Act, H.R. 1170, by Representative John Conyers.
“Democrats,
under the leadership of Maxine Waters, Chair of the Democratic Caucus Special
Committee on Election Reform, held hearings throughout the country, not
just in Florida, but in places like Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio,
and Philadelphia. We heard from real people and real voters who told
similar stories of frustration and disenfranchisement. We have
responded with a comprehensive report that is a blueprint to rebuild our
election system and restore the voters’ trust. The report recommends
minimum national standards in areas such as provisional balloting, purging
of voter lists, accessibility for seniors, persons with disabilities, and
the visually impaired, bilingual voting, and election day voter registration
databases.
“Last
May, in Chicago, the Committee held a hearing that was attended by hundreds
of voters who could not wait to tell us about their experiences.
Maxiella Donahoe, a would be first time voter expressed her disappointment
in a system that failed her miserably. She said:
I
was very excited since this was going to be my first presidential election
to vote in. I never had the opportunity to vote. I can’t even
explain how upset I was.
“We
must act now to address the glaring, documented shortcomings of the last
election. For the sake of Maxiella and the millions of disenfranchised
voters from the 2000 election, we must pass comprehensive reforms this
session. Time is running short. The 2002 election is only a
year away."
|
