Election Reform
Fifty years ago, thousands of Americans risked their lives to challenge systems of blatant discrimination that prevented millions of citizens from exercising their right to vote. In the aftermath of the 2000 and 2004 elections, it is clear that the nation’s voting procedures are still riddled with inequities and systemic problems that prevent millions of Americans from casting votes that count. I strongly support measures to ensure protection of the fundamental right to vote and believe that maintaining the integrity of our electoral process is critical to America’s democratic institutions.
Ballot Integrity
Recent elections have revealed continuing flaws in the administration of our elections, both in the established procedures and limited infrastructure. Our nation must work harder to ensure all voters have equal access and confidence in an accurate vote count.
I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Ballot Integrity Act, which would strengthen national standards for voting machines and mandate a voter-verified paper record for all federal elections. In addition, I am a cosponsor of the Count Every Vote Act. This legislation would help ensure Americans are not hindered from exercising their right to vote by making Election Day a holiday, providing for mandatory recounts, and establishing measures to assure secure and accurate voting machines.
Voting Rights
Recent Congressional investigations have revealed the use of widespread intimidation and deceptive practices in past elections. These tactics are the equivalent of modern day poll taxes that discourage and deny citizens their right to vote. All citizens should have easy access to accurate and timely information regarding elections and should be free from intimidation when exercising their right to vote.
To combat these growing problems, I joined my colleagues in introducing the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act. This legislation would prohibit any person from knowingly deceiving any other person regarding the time, place, or manner of conducting any federal election. In addition, this act would make it a crime to knowingly deceive another person regarding the qualifications for or restrictions on voter eligibility and directs the Attorney General to form a Voting Integrity Task Force.
Campaign Finance Reform
Since my election to Congress, I have fought to protect and expand voting rights and to increase campaign transparency, accountability, and candidate independence. I supported bipartisan legislation to prohibit national political parties from raising and spending unlimited funds provided by special interests. In addition, I have supported the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act, which would increase public access to election-related financial disclosure statements.
Americans deserve a government that works for them and not special interests. I was a cosponsor the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, legislation enacted last year that provided sweeping ethics reform by prohibiting Members and their staffs from accepting gifts from lobbyists, increasing restrictions on lobbying activities on former House and Senate staffers, and providing greater transparency and public disclosure with regard to the use of earmarks.
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