Political Quotes

“I support Alcee Hastings' amendment to the Treasury-Postal Appropriations Act. The amendment will provide an additional $600 million to the FEC budget, funds that are necessary to assist state and local governments in updating voting systems. This is an excellent first step in tackling the election reform issue. It is disappointing that President Bush's budget made no allowance for election reform. But additional funding is not enough. Just throwing money at the problem will not solve the problem. We will end up with states simply taking the money and using it in rich neighborhoods while a state could continue using most disenfranchising machinery and procedures for minority communities. Or, if we offer the money conditionally, states will simply elect to decline a federal check and opt out of any standards. We must provide minimal guarantees to every eligible voter. This is precisely what the bill I have introduced with Senator Dodd and Majority Leader Daschle, the ``Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act,'' would do. The bill has a 140 cosponsors, more than any other election reform bill. It sets comprehensive minimal standards for voting machines used in federal elections but does not tell states and localities what machine to buy--in other words, it only establishes a baseline for what the machines have to be capable of doing.”