[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 40 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 40

 Expressing the sense of the Congress that national news organizations 
 should refrain from projecting the winner of a Presidential election 
  until all of the polls in the Continental United States have closed.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2001

 Mr. Burton of Indiana submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that national news organizations 
 should refrain from projecting the winner of a Presidential election 
  until all of the polls in the Continental United States have closed.

Whereas voter participation is vital to a healthy democracy;
Whereas every eligible American should be encouraged to vote;
Whereas events and actions that may discourage individuals from voting should be 
        avoided whenever possible;
Whereas there is a clear consensus that in Presidential elections, news 
        organization projections of the winner in certain States can affect 
        voter turnout in other States where the polls have not yet closed;
Whereas, on election night in 1980, network news organizations announced that 
        their projections showed that Ronald Reagan had won a sufficient number 
        of States to win the Presidential election well before the polls closed 
        on the west coast;
Whereas numerous studies have concluded that those projections discouraged 
        individuals in Western States from voting, and may have reduced voter 
        turnout in California by more than two percent;
Whereas there is widespread agreement that early projections of the Presidential 
        election in 1980 affected numerous Congressional, State, and local races 
        in Western States;
Whereas, on election night in 2000, all of the major news organizations 
        announced that their projections showed that Vice President Al Gore had 
        won the State of Florida prior to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time;
Whereas these projections of one of the most decisive States in the Presidential 
        election came more than three hours before polls closed on the west 
        coast, and roughly ten minutes before the polls closed in several 
        counties in the panhandle of Florida itself;
Whereas these projections were found to be erroneous and had to be retracted;
Whereas later projections that George W. Bush had won the State of Florida were 
        also retracted;
Whereas early projections again appear to have discouraged voter turnout in many 
        Western States; and
Whereas these early projections again likely affected many closely contested 
        Congressional, State, and local elections in Western States: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that national news organizations 
should, through a voluntary, industry-wide agreement, refrain from 
reporting projections of the winner of a Presidential election, or the 
winner of any State in a Presidential election, until all the polls 
have closed in the Continental United States.
                                 <all>