Washington (special) -- Two Jewish members of the U.S. Senate were
training their focus on election reform in the wake of the presidential
recount in Florida. For example, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) called upon
the U.S. General Accounting Office "to review state election laws and practices
around the country and report to Congress on the best methods that various
states have developed to minimize problems in the electoral process."
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), meanwhile, said he will introduce legislation
in the next session to fund a comprehensive study by the Federal Elections
Commission "to analyze alternate methods of voting including internet voting,
voting by mail, using computerized voting machines and expanding voting
hours and accessibility -- and create a matching grant program to give
states a financial incentive to implement new voting methods."
Schumer was not only critical of Florida; he said his own state of New
York has one of the nation's most outdated citizens. "On Election Day,
voters across New York encountered long lines, broken voting machines and
too few emergency ballots," he said. "Some voters waited hours to vote,
while others were simply turned away." -- Donald
H. Harrison |