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1 (April 17, 2002)

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Order Code RS20898
Updated April 17, 2002


Elections Reform: Overview and Issues


                       Kevin J. Coleman
          Analyst in American National Government
              Government and Finance Division

                        Eric A. Fischer
         Senior Specialist in Science and Technology
         Resources, Science, and Industry Division


Summary


     The remarkable circumstances of the 2000 Presidential election are quite unlikely
 to be repeated, but Florida's role in determining the outcome may be remembered as a
 turning point with respect to the nation's election system. Previously obscure details of
 voting and vote counting have become the focus of public attention, and various state
 and national commissions have issued reports or recommendations on changing the
 voting process. Some states have made plans or have already begun to replace voting
 equipment and adopt other improvements before the 2002 election cycle, while others
 are considering similar changes.
     As Congress considers legislation to reform the voting process, a number of issues
 have emerged as part of the debate: the strengths and weaknesses of different types of
 voting systems; voting and registration problems and irregularities; problems for military
 and overseas voters; and the federal role in election administration. The House and
 Senate have passed different versions of election reform legislation (H.R. 3295), and
 differences will need to be resolved in conference. For additional information, see the
 CRS Electronic Briefing Book on Election Reform. For a discussion of campaign
 finance reform issues, see the CRS Electronic Briefing Book on Campaign Finance
 Reform. This report will be updated periodically to reflect new developments.


 Voting Systems

    After election day 2000, the media focused attention on specific problems with
punchcard voting. Since then, however, broader questions have arisen about error rates,
costs, counting standards, accessibility, and other issues, as election officials consider
upgrading current systems. Elections in the United States are administered at the state and
local level, and the federal government currently does not set mandatory standards for
voting systems, nor does it provide funding to state and local jurisdictions for the

       Congressional Research Service o.o The Library of Congress


CRS Report for Congress

              Received through the CRS Web

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