Expanded Election Reform Legislation introduced
In 2002, following the 2000 Presidential election debacle, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act. The NAACP supported the Help American Vote Act as we saw it as an important step toward ensuring that every eligible American who wants to vote can, and that every vote is counted. While we have seen some real progress since the enactment of the Help America Vote Act, the 2004 Presidential election and the 2006 mid-tern election clearly demonstrated that there is still much more to be done.
As a result of problems that became evident in the 2004 and 2006 elections, Senators Hillary Clinton (NY) and others and Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH) have introduced the "Count Every Vote Act" (S. 804 / H.R. 1381) to build on the Help America Vote Act and to further protect voting rights and to improve the administration of Federal elections. This important legislation would: establish a national Federal write-in absentee ballot; require same-day registration in all 50 states; allow voters to verify their vote prior to casting a ballot either through written, pictorial, audio or electronic verification; lead to the establishment of standards for a minimum number of voting machines and trained poll workers for every polling place; and the legislation would establish minimum standards to ensure that all eligible provisional ballots are counted and that no one is erroneously purged from the voting rolls without prior notification. The Count Every Vote Act (S. 804 / H.R. 1381) also establishes a national standard for ex-felony offenders, who have served their time and are out of jail, the opportunity to register and vote in federal elections.
The right of all eligible citizens to vote and to have their vote count is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is a fundamental civil right guaranteed by our Constitution. The NAACP believes strongly that it is the obligation of Congress to ensure that everything that can be done will be done to ensure that every eligible American is allowed to vote and to be sure that his or her vote has been counted.
- The right of all eligible citizens to vote and to have their vote count is the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is a fundamental civil right guaranteed by our Constitution.
- While the 2002 Help America Vote Act was helpful in addressing many of the concerns that emerged in the 2000 Presidential election, there is still work to be done.
- We need to aggressively and comprehensively address many of the problems that came to light in the 2004 Problems election and continue to plague our democracy.
- It is the obligation of Congress to ensure that everything that can be done will be done to ensure that every eligible American is allowed to vote and to be sure that his or her vote has been counted.