John Ensign, United States Senator, Nevada

Senator Ensign believes in the freedom of every individual, and this freedom includes the right to vote, one of the most cherished rights and fundamental responsibilities of citizenship. We must ensure that every legal vote is cast and counted accurately because our democratic government relies on the integrity of our voting system. However, in recent years, there have been reports of voter disenfranchisement, not necessarily because of race, but due to vote cancellation tactics and reports of voting machine malfunctions, which could cause electronic ballots to be lost. Vote cancellation is a serious charge. It occurs when a person not entitled to vote casts a ballot to cancel out a legal voter's ballot. We should take this opportunity to end fraud and deception at the ballot box and continue working to reduce errors because fair and accurate elections are essential to preserving our freedoms and liberties.

Modernizing our election system will help ensure that future elections operate more smoothly. That is why Senator Ensign has led the effort to require a voter verification paper trail. His amendment in the 2002 Help America Vote Act (HAVA) called for voter verification paper trails. Unfortunately, the language in HAVA did not resolve this issue, and many states do not believe the paper trail is mandatory.

Senator Ensign has introduced legislation to address this issue once and for all. The Voting Integrity and Verification Act would create a new level of integrity at the ballot box by requiring a paper printout of votes cast at electronic voting machines. A voter-verified paper trail would allow voters to review a physical printout of their ballot and correct any errors before leaving the voting booth. This printout would be preserved for use in any recounts. Senator Ensign has led the effort for this reform and has brought together a broad bipartisan coalition of senators who support it. Groups on the left and right have endorsed this critical piece of legislation.

With the 2004 primary election, Nevada became the first state to certify voter-verified paper audit trail printers to be used with touch-screen voting machines. While Senator Ensign is proud of the example set by Nevada, federal legislation requiring a voter-verified paper trail will ensure that every American has access to polls.