Belay the Lawsuits

There were plenty of problems in voting jurisdictions across the country, and the outcome in some places may yet fall within the so-called margin of litigation. But there does not appear to have been a meltdown of the electoral process. Indeed, high turnout and those images of Americans patiently awaiting their turn to vote proved reassuring to a jittery nation.

This turnout is a triumph for American democracy, particularly after years of dwindling voter interest. Record numbers registered, and early reports showed a big, perhaps unprecedented, increase from the 51% of eligible voters who cast ballots in 2000.

But the danger now is that states and the federal government may be tempted to give up on efforts to improve the way Americans vote. It’s still inexcusable that even within a single state, voters are subjected to a smorgasbord of different voting technologies. Plenty of last-minute glitches on Tuesday should serve as a warning that we are still perilously close to 2000 -- precincts short on ballots, machines on the fritz and not enough poll workers. Add in the continuing confusion around the thousands of still-to-be-counted provisional ballots issued to voters whose eligibility was in question. The 20,000-plus lawyers that each party hired are poised to chew on all these issues in every possible court.

Far better would be a temporary cease-fire in these legal wars, at least until all absentee votes are counted. Reserve the lawsuits for the most egregious cases.

Congress, more than partisan lawyers, bears responsibility for making sure that every eligible vote is counted. Americans deserve clear national standards governing who qualifies to vote and how their votes should be counted. Congress only started on that task when it passed the Help America Vote Act in 2002. It needs to finish before the next big election and the next flock of lawyers.