Janice Schakowsky: “one year ago today the Supreme Court, by a vote of 5-4, determined the outcome of the 2000 Presidential election. Today…”

“one year ago today the Supreme Court, by a vote of 5-4, determined the outcome of the 2000 Presidential election. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives, by considering the Help America Vote Act, is taking a measured step forward to ensure that future elections will be decided in the polling place instead of the courthouse. During the 2000 election, six million votes were not counted and voters were turned away at the polls, harassed, or intimidated. The American people expected that, by now, Congress would have taken action on election reform so that history would not repeat itself. But until today, we have not. I traveled the country with my colleagues, including Representative Maxine Waters, Chairperson of the Democratic Caucus Special Committee on election Reform, and met with disenfranchised voters, who demanded that the federal government repair the deficiencies of the last election. And we should have delivered on that demand months ago by passing the Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001, a comprehensive reform bill introduced by Representative John Conyers. That legislation, which is endorsed by civil rights, labor, disability and voter rights organizations, is the benchmark for true reform. It thoughtfully addresses concerns raised during last year's election, including voter records, accessibility, and equal opportunity at the voting place. Now, with less than a year before the next general election, Congress is running out of time.”