Jewish Sightseeing HomePage Jewish Sightseeing
   2000-12-01: Ballot Reform


Washington
      D.C
Capitol Building
 
The Jewish Citizen

Boxer, Schumer eye balloting reform

San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage, Dec. 01, 2000

 
Washington (special) -- Two Jewish members of the U.S. Senate were training their focus on election reform in the wake of the presidential recount in Florida. For example, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) called upon the U.S. General Accounting Office "to review state election laws and practices around the country and report to Congress on the best methods that various states have developed to minimize problems in the electoral process."

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), meanwhile, said he will introduce legislation in the next session to fund a comprehensive study by the Federal Elections Commission "to analyze alternate methods of voting including internet voting, voting by mail, using computerized voting machines and expanding voting hours and accessibility -- and create a matching grant program to give states a financial incentive to implement new voting methods."

Schumer was not only critical of Florida; he said his own state of New York has one of the nation's most outdated citizens. "On Election Day, voters across New York encountered long lines, broken voting machines and too few emergency ballots," he said. "Some voters waited hours to vote, while others were simply turned away." -- Donald H. Harrison