Boston Globe Editiorial on Election Reform (5/2/05)

[TayTay]

Voting devalued
May 2, 2005

VOTERS FRUSTRATED by Florida's recount debacle in 2000 got better results last year -- but not much. Congress will lower voter confidence again if it fails to confront the problem.

After the Florida recount, Congress responded far too slowly. In 2002 it finally created the US Election Assistance Commission, but gave it too weak a mandate, and then underfunded it. The commission was unable to start operations for 10 months, and then, as its own annual report says, ''had no offices, equipment, or staff." President Bush has not helped; he has proposed $600 million less than the agreed-upon target budget for the agency, even as he pushes more tax cuts.

In 2004, thousands of voters in many states still had problems with faulty registration records. Extremely long lines in Ohio and other states deterred thousands more, and there were serious technical glitches and errors, including 4,438 computer votes that simply disappeared in North Carolina.


MORE at: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2005/05/02/voting_devalued/

[rodeodance]

1. slow going for Repugs--

[BeFree]

2. Missed the part where...

....they say something like: Too many people are still unsure about the elections process. Being that elections is the ground in which democracy takes root, the very fact some citizens are still unsure, should be the chief concern for all Americans, especially those appointed to oversee the elections.

[Kip Humphrey]

3. A FAUX call for a FAUX Election Reform Commission

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[YvonneCa]

5. My response to Boston.com...

Thank you for your article dated May 2, 2005 entitled "Voting devalued". As an American citizen who believes our nation is seriously endangered by the flaws in the current federal electoral process, I am happy to see this small step toward media coverage of the important issue of election reform.
I hope your coverage of this issue will expand in the future to include information on the Carter-Baker Commission on Election Reform, Rep. John Conyers Report on 2004 Election Irregularities, and efforts underway for MORE THAN A YEAR to get this issue noticed by the media.

The final sentence of your article "Congress owes much greater commitment to the mechanics of democracy, and voters should demand it." belies the fact that Congress IS working on this issue...it is the media that owes greater commitment to the mechanics of democracy.

Boston.Com and other media have a patriotic duty to the country to cover this story. If the American public had access to this information, they WOULD demand change be implemented NOW. Thank you, again, for this small beginning.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kster]

7. kick...n/t

[kster]

8. kick .......drip drip drip

we are getting there. NGU.