Political Quotes

“we are here this afternoon largely because of the events which surrounded the election in November of 2000. Had there not been the degree of turmoil and controversy and allegations, it is unlikely there would have been the public momentum that led to the development of this very constructive national legislation that I hope we are about to adopt. There have been other arenas which have been touched by the events of November 2000. Many of our State legislatures have adopted new procedures, including voting machines, means by which voters will have an opportunity to have second ballot checks, and other methods, all of which are intended to assure that Americans will have the maximum opportunity within the law to participate in our democracy. There is another forum, as my good friend and colleague has indicated, which has not been functioning as it indicated it would. That is the executive responsibility. In the past, this Congress has adopted a set of laws which represent the national standards for elections. They are particularly sensitive to those voters who, maybe in the past, had a history of not having full access to voting rights. As part of that process, if there are allegations of irregularities, they are referred to the Department of Justice for a review and then what action that review indicates is appropriate. Florida was not the only State that was affected by the turmoil of 2000.”