[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 110 (Wednesday, August 1, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TREASURY AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2002

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                               speech of

                           HON. ROBERT WEXLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 25, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2590) making 
     appropriations for the Treasury Department, the United States 
     Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and 
     certain Independent Agencies, for the fiscal year ending 
     September 30, 2002, and for other purposes:

  Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Hastings 
amendment to the bill, and I commend my neighbor and colleague for 
bringing this issue to the Floor of the House.
  America is the freest and most prosperous nation on earth. We are the 
strongest and most resilient democracy on the planet. Yet last 
November, we failed our citizens in the most fundamental way.
  The right to vote cuts to the very bone of our democracy. When tens 
of thousands of Americans cast their ballots--only to have them thrown 
out--whether you like the results of the Presidential election or not--
it is undeniable that something is wrong in America. If we fail to 
learn from this tragic experience then shame on us.
  What happened in Palm Beach County, Florida on election day is 
personal to me. I saw it with my own eyes. I experienced it myself. I 
stood in front of voting precincts and witnessed a horrible state of 
confusion.
  I rise today representing the citizens of my district who went to 
vote on election day only to be confronted with a puzzle rather than a 
ballot. I watched the dismay and felt the anger of patriotic Americans, 
many of whom fought in World War II and Korea, and haven't missed an 
election in over 50 years, as their votes were rendered meaningless.
  I support the Hastings electoral reform amendment to give a voice to 
those Floridians whose votes were callously discarded due to a ballot 
that was so confusing intelligent men and women unknowingly cast two 
votes for President, or one vote for the wrong man.
  I support the Hastings electoral reform amendment because the 
collapse of the election system in Florida was not color-blind. The 
facts speak for themselves. Fifty-four percent of Florida's discarded 
ballots were cast by African-Americans, even though African-Americans 
only comprise eleven percent of Florida's voters.
  Think about that. African-American voters were ten times more likely 
than white voters to have their ballots rejected in Florida. This 
reality is indefensible and we must act now to repair our citizens' 
faith in the system.
  Have no doubt about it, this is not just a Florida problem. It 
stretches coast to coast. Many of the problems that confronted Florida 
on election day occurred in other states. In fact, more votes were 
thrown out in Illinois than in Florida. This is a federal problem that 
demands federal attention.
  What happened in Florida on election day highlighted for the entire 
world that in America, even for a Presidential election, we have no 
national standards for the design of ballots--we have no national 
standards for the counting of ballots--we have no national standards 
for voting machinery--we have no national standards to prevent 
thousands of Americans from being purged from voter roles--and we have 
no reliable way to count the overseas ballots of the men and women in 
the military.
  The good news is--this problem can be solved, but we must commit the 
necessary resources. I strongly support the amendment sponsored by 
Representative Hastings which makes a substantial down payment on our 
obligation to help state and local governments modernize their election 
equipment and renew the integrity of our democracy. Electoral reform 
must not be a partisan cause. It is our national obligation.
  Election 2000 was a wake-up call to all Americans that we must not 
take our democracy for granted. We must commit the money, the resources 
and the energy to fix our election process once and for all. To do 
anything less is unforgivable.
  I urge you to support the amendment.

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