[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                INTRODUCTION OF UNIFORM POLL CLOSING ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 15, 2000

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join today with my 
colleagues Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye, along with 
Representatives Tauzin and Dingell and 20 other Democratic and 
Republican House and Senate Members to introduce the bipartisan Uniform 
Poll Closing Act.
  Over the years, both the Democratic and Republican parties have been 
concerned about the fact that the news media frequently projects a 
particular Presidential candidate to be the victor in key battlegound 
states before all the polls have closed nationally.
  In 1980, many Democrats were outraged when Ronald Reagan was 
proclaimed the victor of the Presidential race on network television at 
5:15 p.m. Pacific time. At that moment, polls were still open in 
approximately half the states, in every time zone--including many in 
the eastern and central time zones, and all the polls in the Mountain, 
Pacific, Alaskan, and Hawaiian time zones. As a result of the networks' 
decision, many voters felt there was no longer any point in going to 
the polls, a development which may have affected the outcome of many 
state and local elections. In 1984 and 1988 many Democrats feared that 
network's projections in the early evening that the Republican 
candidate was going to be the overwhelming electoral college winner may 
have again affected voting in many state and local contests in the 
west.
  This year, many Republicans were angered when the networks projected 
Al Gore the victor in Florida, prior to the closing of polls in the 
Florida Panhandle. At the same time, some GOP lawmakers raised concerns 
that network projections regarding the likely victors in many other key 
Presidential battleground states in the East or Midwest may have 
affected voter turnout in other states in which the polls were still 
open.
  I believe that there is a relatively straightforward way to reduce a 
repeat of these concerns: adoption of a uniform poll closing time for 
Presidential elections. That is why today, we will introduce 
legislation which would establish a uniform poll closing time. Under 
this bill, for Presidential elections, polls in all 50 states would 
close at 9 p.m. eastern standard time, which is 8 p.m. central standard 
time and 7 p.m. mountain time. In the Pacific time zone, in 
Presidential election years only, in order to achieve a 7 p.m. poll 
closing time, daylight savings time would be extended for two weeks. 
This will allow the polls on the West Cost to close at 7 p.m. Pacific 
daylight time.
  The House approved identical legislation in 1986, 1987, and 1989, but 
it was never enacted into law. We have an opportunity now to rectify 
this situation, establish a uniform poll closing time, and minimize the 
potential that future premature projections by the television networks 
regarding the winners of a Presidential election will influence voter 
behavior in other states.
  While the public may be divided over whom they want to see become our 
next President, both Democratic and Republican votes agree on the need 
to establish a uniform poll closing time. In fact, a recent CBS poll 
reports that 71% of the American public would like to see a uniform 
national poll closing time established. This reflects the public's 
recognition that standardizing poll closing times for Presidential 
elections would reduce the likelihood that when the television networks 
declare a winner in one state, they may depress voter turnout in any 
remaining precincts in the state in which the polls remain open, or 
affect voter turnout in other state across the country.
  I look forward to working with Senator Stevens, Representative 
Tauzin, Dingell, and other interested Members to advance this proposal. 
Over the last several days, I have spoken to Senator Stevens, who has 
long been a leader on this issue in the Senate, and who had a strong 
interest in working out a formulation that would accommodate Alaska and 
Hawaii. With this bill, we have been able to accomplish that goal by 
allowing those states to open their polls on Monday afternoon and then 
bring them into the framework of the nationwide uniform poll closing 
time we are establishing for election Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern 
Standard Time.
  In introducing this bill today, we are hoping to begin a debate on 
this issue by putting onto the table the main proposal that the House 
has previously approved, and we are open to considering other 
reasonable alternatives. What we would like to assure, however, is that 
this time, the Congress acts to reform the rules governing poll closing 
times in Presidential elections.




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