State voting officials to propose electoral reforms

In this story: Punch card ballots under scrutiny Alleged voter 'intimidation' RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a report to be issued Monday, the National Association of Secretaries of State will recommend reforms in the nation's electoral process, sources close to the group told CNN.

The report comes on the heels of one of the closest U.S. presidential elections in history, which was hampered by allegations of inaccurate vote counts and voter intimidation at polling places in the state of Florida.

The report is not expected to include a call for a national uniform voting standard, but will instead make a variety of other recommendations, including:

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• Expand poll worker training and recruitment.
  
• Upgrade the machines and equipment used in voting.
  
• Ensure everyone has equal access to voting booths.
  
• Ensure voting rolls are complete and accurate and that different state governments talk and share information.
  
• Begin a voter-education program.
  
• Train and certify election officials.

The secretaries of state association report is expected to ask Congress for money to implement the proposed changes. One association official estimated the proposed changes could cost billions of dollars to implement.

Officials from the organization are expected to meet with Sens. Charles Schumer, D-New York, and Robert Torricelli, D-New Jersey, to begin lobbying for those funds.

Punch card ballots under scrutiny

Election practices have come under close scrutiny because of the slim margin of the Bush victory last year. Bush won Florida's 25 electoral votes -- and as a result the national Electoral College -- by a margin of just 537 votes, according to certified results announced by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris. That result was upheld by a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision based on a challenge to the vote count by Democratic candidate Al Gore.

Thousands of so-called punch card-style ballots in Florida failed to register votes for any presidential candidate. Other ballots appeared to have votes cast for more than one candidate

Under the punch card system, voters place a cardboard ballot in a holder and then use a pin or stylus to punch out perforated squares or "chad" that correspond to their candidates. Ballots are then counted by computer. Critics say that system is prone to mistakes.

On Thursday, a task force appointed by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush voted unanimously to recommend that punch card-style ballots be prohibited from elections by next year.

The task force said it will tell the governor and the Legislature to adopt a statewide electronic system that would be designed to eliminate voter mistakes by next year's congressional and gubernatorial contests.

The task force called for a statewide ballot system in which voters use a pencil to fill in bubbles next to their candidates' names. If there is a mistake, the system would reject the ballot on the spot and voters could immediately correct their errors.

Alleged voter 'intimidation'

On January 11, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission heard complaints from black voters in Florida who said they were wrongly turned away from the polls in November's presidential election.

Since the November vote, many black voters in Florida have complained that they were turned away from the polls, intimidated by police roadblocks or found their names wrongly stricken from voting rolls.

Florida voting officials have denied that any such incidents took place.

The commission is scheduled to issue a final report on their probe this summer.

CNN Producer Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.

Bush discusses election reforms, civil rights with black lawmakers
February 1, 2001
Lawmakers push bipartisan election reform plan
January 30, 2001
Election reform rally held in Tallahassee, without Jesse Jackson
January 20, 2001
Panel begins looking into Florida election reform
January 8, 2001

National Association of Secretaries of State
Florida Department of State
United States Commission on Civil Rights

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