Voting Reform Still Waits

Ayear ago, the United States was gripped by a crisis of confidence in its voting system, the mechanism of democracy. Judging from the fiasco in Florida and alarming examples elsewhere, it was obvious that the creaky electoral system was under severe stress. The calls went out for reform at both the state and national levels.

And what happened? Very little. Common Cause reports that only a few states have improved their voting systems. Nationally, the issue has been stalled in Congress in part because of the bitter partisan residue of the 2000 election. Now, however, a comprehensive national election reform bill has emerged in the U.S. House with strong bipartisan backing. It should be passed into law before Congress adjourns for the year.

The measure, HR 3295, carries the cumbersome title of the Help America Vote Act of 2001. It is sponsored by Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), the chairman of the House Administration Committee, and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the committee.

This balanced legislation would assure that all states met minimum rights and standards, from registration systems to the determination of what is a valid vote. At the same time, the bill would reserve for the states their rightful preeminent role in the electoral process. Unlike a competing bill in the Senate, the Ney-Hoyer bill would not set comprehensive standards for the states but merely reasonable minimum requirements. In return, the legislation authorizes up to $2.65 billion in federal aid for state election systems, including an immediate $400 million this year to replace the old punch card voting system that caused so much havoc in Florida, with its hanging chads. This could provide significant aid to California in replacing punch card systems in Los Angeles and other counties.

Veteran political columnist David Broder calls it “truly remarkable” that Hoyer and Ney were able to forge their compromise in an atmosphere of such mistrust--something of a throwback to the day when lawmakers recognized that even modest problem-solving is better than stalemate. Some Democrats wanted more punitive legislation that would impose one set of federal rules on local election officials. This would be both wrong and unnecessary. The Ney-Hoyer minimum standards, enforceable by the Justice Department, should do the job while maintaining proper local election responsibility.

California has been a leader in election modernization and reform in recent years, but it is not immune from unseen and unforeseen bugs that can plague the electoral system. While the state forges ahead with its own improvements, it should welcome the support it would get at the federal level from the Ney-Hoyer measure.