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1 (October 30, 2003)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthabamn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS20898 Updated October 30, 2003 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web 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 November 2000 Presidential election are 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 became the focus of public attention, and various state and national commissions issued reports or recommendations on changing the voting process. Some states made plans or began to replace voting equipment and adopt other improvements before the 2002 election cycle. Both sessions of the 107th Congress considered and debated federal election reform legislation, and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA, P.L. 107-252) was enacted in October 2002. The Act creates a new federal agency with election administration responsibilities, sets requirements for voting and voter-registration systems and certain other aspects of election administration, and provides federal funding; but it does not supplant state and local control over election administration. Issues for the 108th Congress include funding, establishment of the new agency, and implementation by and impacts on the states. For additional information, see the CRS Electronic Briefing Book on Election Reform. This report will be updated periodically to reflect new developments. Voting Systems and Election Administration After election day 2000, the media first focused attention on specific problems with punchcard voting, but broader questions soon arose about error rates, costs, counting standards, accessibility, and other issues. Elections in the United States are administered at the state and local level, and the federal government had not historically set mandatory standards for voting systems, nor had it provided funding to state and local jurisdictions for the administration of elections. HAVA changed that. While initial reactions after the election had tended to focus on technological fixes such as eliminating punchcards, some consensus emerged subsequently that the issues, and the solutions needed, are more Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress

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