|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Editorial
Editorial Archives
Friday, November 5, 2004; Page 18
Make Voting Easier
George Bush and every state and local legislator should be ashamed of the way the American voters were treated on Tuesday. After hearing reports and witnessing for themselves the long lines voters were required to stand in, in order to participate in the democratic process is clear evidence that the U.S. electoral system is truly dysfunctional.
Since last fall, both the Democratic and Republican parties engaged in and supported one of the most massive voter registration initiatives in recent times. The result, according to Elijah Cummings, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was one million new registered voters. The prediction that there would be an overwhelming voter turnout came early on, yet the recommendations emerging from the new federal voting laws were largely ignored, even in the battleground states.
In 2002, President Bush signed The Help America Vote Act which aims to improve the administration of elections in the United States, primarily through three means: creating a new federal agency to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information; providing funds to states to improve election administration and replace outdated voting systems; and creating minimum standards for states to follow in several key areas of election administration. Obviously, the law made a better impression on paper than it did at the polls on Tuesday.
We agree with D.C. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton that an evaluation needs to be done to determine what went wrong on Tuesday. Voting should be made easy for U.S. citizens who shouldn’t be treated like Third World citizens. Democracy depends upon it.
By 2008, a standard, electronic voting process should be in place that allows for easy and early access to every American who wants their voice to be heard. To do otherwise suggests that we all should stay home the next time. |
|
|
|