[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 145 (Friday, September 12, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8475-S8476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   TRIBUTE TO MARGARET ``PEGGY'' SIMS

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I wish to take this opportunity 
to pay tribute to a longtime public servant who spent her career 
working hard to improve the quality of elections. Ms. Margaret Sims 
spent her entire career working for both of the agencies under the 
jurisdiction of the Rules Committee--the Federal Election Commission 
and the Election Assistance Commission. She passed away earlier this 
month after a long battle with cancer.
  A resident of Burke, VA, Ms. Sims, known to her friends as ``Peggy'', 
was born in Schenectady, NY, and was a graduate of Wells College. She 
was an intern in the community services department at the AFL-CIO 
before starting her career at the FEC as an investigator. She also 
served as Director of Compliance and Election Administrative Research 
Specialist at that agency.
  Long before the 2000 election and hanging chads, Ms. Sims was working 
hard with our Nation's election administration professionals to provide 
them with the best information available to help them do their job. 
While at the FEC, she assisted in developing voting systems standards 
and in the creation

[[Page S8476]]

of a guide and training tools to accompany the 1993 National Voter 
Registration Act. She was also part of the first U.S. delegation to the 
Trilateral Conference between Canada, Mexico and the United States held 
in Mexico City in 1994. This conference engaged the three countries in 
dialogue regarding their respective election processes so that each 
country might learn from the others.
  She moved to the newly created U.S. Election Assistance Commission in 
2004, where she assisted in guiding States in appropriate voting 
procedures and in training them how to report back to that agency. She 
provided guidance to the new EAC Commissioners and assisted them in 
developing a working knowledge of the election administration process. 
During the challenging implementation of the Help America Vote Act, 
hundreds of election officials relied on her assistance in getting the 
law right.
  Because she worked in the field of elections, Ms. Sims was always 
nonpartisan. She proudly said that she would not even let her husband 
put a political bumper sticker on his car. Her emphasis on providing 
assistance in an impartial, unbiased way is a testament to her 
dedication. She did not care about who won or lost, she cared that the 
process was always fair.
  She is survived by her husband and son, Dug and Jay Greevy, as well 
as her mother, two brothers, and a sister.
  It is important to remember not only the life of Peggy Sims but also 
the impact of her work. She worked hard every day for civic leadership 
and better government. She rose above partisan labels. We honor her 
memory by recognizing her commitments to public service and to shaping 
better elections for our country.

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