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By JOHN BALZ
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2001
WASHINGTON -- A commission of election administrators released a report Thursday stressing that repairs to the nation's election system should focus on voting procedures and standards, not on voting equipment.
The report, prepared by the National Task Force on Election Reform, says America's election system "is not in a crisis." It recommends that states enact a clear definition of what constitutes a vote and establish a uniform recount procedure. But the report does not call for federal government mandates and it dismisses the need for a national voting standard.
In a step that separates it from other studies, the task force downplays the effect of outdated voting machines. At a news conference, commission members said the media and lawmakers have overemphasized the blame on technology for the confusion of the 2000 presidential election.
"The problem is not machines," said Al Davidson, county clerk in Marion, Ore., and co-chairman of the commission. "The reports of failures and flaws were inaccurate. It was a lack of understanding of how the process works.
The bulk of the study focuses on how to improve vote counting and voter registration. It recommends offering provisional ballots and shies away from making Election Day a national holiday. Bill Cowles, the supervisor of elections in Orange County, said the committee didn't spend much time talking about funding increases.
The Election Center has estimated that replacing outdated election machines -- about 90 percent of those in use -- will cost $3-billion to $5-billion, but the report does not suggest that Congress authorize a specific figure. It also says money should be used to train poll workers and help local election boards develop standards, not just to buy new equipment.
The commission was made up of 37 state election supervisors from around the country. They resisted the familiar bent of some Washington lawmakers who think reforms will be inadequate unless they are federally mandated.
"We didn't suddenly become stupid in one election," said Doug Lewis, executive director of the Election Center. "There is this tendency to believe that because there were problems that we now need somebody to stand over us and guide us in understanding this process."
The study is likely to upset many Democratic lawmakers who have called for the federal government to mandate sweeping changes. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus, painting election reform as a civil rights issue, have said the government should require states to carry out reforms.