[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 14 (Thursday, February 1, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S1016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID:
  S. 241. A bill to direct the Federal Election Commission to set 
uniform national standards for Federal election procedures, change the 
Federal election day, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Rules 
and Administration.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the National 
Election Standards Act of 2001.
  The entire nation was disgusted by the presidential election of 2000. 
That election revealed the flaws in our election process to the entire 
world. America is the greatest country--and the oldest democracy--in 
the world, and we can do better.
  The most fundamental premise of democracy is that every vote is 
counted. But the reality is that votes cast in wealthier parts of the 
country frequently count more than votes cast in poorer areas, because 
wealthier districts have better, more accurate, more modern and less 
error-prone counting machines than poorer precincts and districts. Some 
counties in this nation are using voting machines and vote-counting 
machines that are 50, 60, 70 years old, and that have error rates of 3 
or more percent. In the wealthiest nation in the world, that is simply 
unacceptable.
  Today, I am introducing a bill that will give the Federal Election 
Commission the authority to issue uniform federal regulations governing 
registration, access to polling places, voting machines, and vote-
counting procedures in federal elections across the country. Unlike 
some other proposals introduced this Congress, these regulations will 
be binding on states and localities. The Commission will also be 
authorized to set deadlines for states and localities to comply, and to 
provide the necessary federal funding to enable them to comply.
  My bill will also require states to allow voters to register on the 
same day that they vote, and will move federal election days from the 
current Tuesday, to the preceding Saturday and Sunday. By simplifying 
registration, by allowing voters to vote on weekends, and extending 
election day to two days instead of one, more voters will be able to 
participate in federal elections more easily. I believe these changes 
will go a long way toward improving our atrocious voter turnout rates, 
and help restore some of the confidence in our election process that 
many Americans lost during the last election.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort.
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