SENATORS McCONNELL, SCHUMER, TORRICELLI, BROWNBACK REACH BIPARTISAN
COMPROMISE ON ELECTION REFORM BILL

McConnell-Schumer bill to pave way for passage of bill to modernize elections Merger of two leading bills breaks Senate logjam on election reform

U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) and Sam Brownback (R-KS) today held a press conference to announce their plans to introduce the Bipartisan Federal Election Reform Act.

The bill, which represents a compromise between the McConnell/Torricelli and Schumer/Brownback election reform bills, would create a blue ribbon panel to study election reform and a new bipartisan agency to administer $2.5 billion in grants for states to improve their voting systems.

"The furor and fervor surrounding the last election has given way to a constructive bipartisan consensus," said McConnell. "This bipartisan legislation will help combat two of the most pressing issues of the last election: voter fraud and the obstruction of military voting. Ultimately, the bill will ensure the three A's of election reform: Access, Accuracy and Accountability."

"While the 2000 election might be fading out of the spotlight, we can't lose sight of the need to modernize our election systems so that we never have another Florida," said Schumer. "This legislation combines the strongest elements of the two leading reform bills on the table into a compromise measure that has the broad support needed to break through congressional gridlock and make hanging chads a thing of the past."

"This legislation is comprehensive and will address all of the issues that came to the surface during the last election. It contains ideas and provisions from two thorough pieces of legislation and when enacted into law, will help to restore American's confidence in the electoral process," said Torricelli. "I am pleased to be working with Senator McConnell and now Senator Schumer on this bill. An issue of this much importance should be a cooperative and bipartisan effort that appeals to members from every facet of the Senate."

"The 2000 Presidential election has taught us that we need to improve the instruments of voting and the means of electing our federal office holders," said Brownback. "This bill is a thoughtful, bipartisan attempt to provide grant money to states to implement alternate means and instruments of voting that provide swifter and more accurate results, and are less susceptible to partisan interference and difference of opinion."

Under the new legislation, a bipartisan, 12-member "blue ribbon" panel would study all aspects of election systems and administration and make recommendations within six months. The board would study voting procedures, ballot design, voter registration, access for disabled, military and overseas voters. The panel would be composed of three members recommended by the Senate Majority Leader, three by the Senate Minority Leader, three by the House Speaker, and three by the House Minority Leader.

Upon completion of its investigation, the panel would report to Congress on the best systems and provide its recommendations to a new agency that would review them and use them as a blueprint to administer funding to states to upgrade their systems. The agency - the Election Administration Commission (EAC) - would be modeled like the Federal Election Commission, with four commissioners recommended by the Senate Majority Leader and four recommended by the Senate Minority Leader.

The EAC would be charged with administering a four-to-one matching grant program to states and localities, funded at $2.5 billion over five years. The grants would be used to buy new voting equipment, train poll workers, implement the blue ribbon panel's recommendations, or make any other improvements approved by the commission. Any new machines purchased would have to allow voters to correct overvotes and undervotes and have a error rate no higher than the new national standard.

In order to receive funding, states and localities would have to demonstrate compliance with the Voting Rights Act and other civil rights laws, institute provisional balloting and other safeguards to ensure accuracy during the transition to new systems, establish poll worker training and voter education programs, provide disabled voters with the opportunity to vote under the same conditions of privacy and independence as the non-disabled, and ensure that all military and overseas votes are counted.

A summary of the legislation is attached.

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