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1 (May 14, 2007)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthabamt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS20898 Updated May 14, 2007 SCRS Report for Congress 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 Since the November 2000 Presidential election, previously obscure details of voting and vote counting have become the focus of ongoing public attention and legislative action at the state and federal levels. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA, P.L. 107-252) was enacted in October 2002, and states have made many changes to election laws and procedures before and since. HAVA created a new federal agency; set requirements for voting, voter-registration systems, and other aspects of election administration; and provided federal funding. However, it did not supplant state and local control over election administration. Issues in the 109'h Congress included state compliance with HAVA requirements, voter identification and citizenship requirements for voting, funding, and paper audit trails for electronic voting systems. In the 1 10th Congress, the Senate Rules and Administration Committee held a hearing on the reliability of electronic voting machines on February 7, 2007. The House Administration Committee has held four hearings' on the issue and ordered reported an amended version of H.R. 811, the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007, on May 8. The bill would require the use of paper ballots and mandatory partial recounts in federal elections. Voting Systems and Election Administration 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 2000 election had tended to focus on technological fixes such as eliminating punchcards, a consensus emerged subsequently that the issues, and the solutions needed, were more complex and often involved trade- 1 The hearings, by the Subconmmittee on Elections, were held on March 15, 19, 20, and 23, 2007. Congressional Research Service The Library of Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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