But here at home, we're not doing nearly enough to make our election system the shining example it must be. The findings of the Democratic National Committee's Ohio election report strike at the core of our most cherished values of freedom and equal opportunity, and should concern every American no matter their political affiliation. The report found that, as a result of negligence and incompetence, flawed voting machinery and deliberate voter suppression, more than a quarter of Ohio voters had difficulty at the polls. Our democracy is only as strong as the people's faith that their voice counts and their votes will be counted. No one in this country should walk out of a voting booth wondering if their vote will be counted. No eligible voter should face fear or intimidation at the voting booth. No American should face unnecessarily long lines or faulty equipment. Barriers to voting are an insult to the freest, greatest nation in the world. We have to do better, and we have to act now for the elections in 2005 and 2006. All Americans should insist on electoral reform at every level to stop voter suppression, strengthen voting rights, and secure funding for election officials to purchase reliable and verifiable voting machines so the discrepancies found in Ohio never happen again. President Bush and Republican leaders owe it to the American people to take action on real electoral reform pending in the House and Senate. That means passing the Count Every Vote Act of 2005, which seeks to end absurdly long lines, the erroneous purging of voters, voter suppression and intimidation, and unequal access to the voting process. The act would also incorporate a voter-verified paper trail for use by all individuals, including voters for whom English is a second language, illiterate voters and voters with disabilities. Real electoral reform also means putting partisan politics aside and fully funding the Help America Vote Act, funding the activities of the Election Assistance Commission, and helping states invest in better voting machines with paper trails. I hope Washington can come together to get this done, because there is no greater right than the right to vote. This precious right was hard-fought by brave American citizens who risked their lives to register voters, who marched, who stared down Bull Connor's police dogs, who faced the threat of lynching, and some who even lost their lives fighting to open up the polls and make the right to vote real for every American. Today, American troops put their lives on the line in the name of democracy across the world. We here at home must do our part to honor our great legacy of fighting for freedom and civil rights, and do everything we can to strengthen democracy for all Americans.