[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 26076]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         ON THE RECENT ELECTION

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I congratulate all those who participated 
in our recent Federal and State elections. In Vermont 63 percent of 
registered voters went to the polls and voted. In other States it was a 
bit more, in some a bit less.
  The 2000 presidential election reminds us all that every vote counts. 
State electoral votes for President and Vice President may be decided 
in some States by the fewest in history, literally a handful of votes. 
In New Mexico, the counting continues and the outcome is very close. In 
Florida, the counting continues and the outcome is very close.
  Likewise in Washington State, the vote for the Senator from 
Washington is still being counted and is very close. A number of House 
congressional races remain very close and final results may have to 
await recounts and the outcome of protests and challenges. The results 
of the Senate and House elections are such that the House and Senate 
themselves will have equal numbers or almost equal numbers of Democrats 
and Republicans.
  I want to commend all those who participated. I welcome our newest 
Senators-elect. Many are in town this week. I welcome Jean Carnahan, 
Debbie Stabenow, Tom Carper, Jon Corzine, Mark Dayton, Ben Nelson, Bill 
Nelson, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. In addition, we may be joined by 
Maria Cantwell. We will be joined by George Allen, and John Ensign. All 
will add greatly to our ranks and, I hope, to the Senate's ability to 
find answers to the problems of the American people.
  The Congress will be confronted with a number of challenges. We will 
need to find ways to work together. In the Senate, the possibility of a 
Senate equally divided among Democrats and Republicans has prompted the 
Democratic Leader to make the suggestion that we consider new and less 
confrontational organizational principles that would include equal 
membership ratios on our Committees and equal staffing and equitable 
sharing of resources. Those are suggestions that should be seriously 
considered. I look forward to working with all Senators in the coming 
days: Senators in this Congress as we complete our work before 
adjourning sine die and Senators in the next Congress as we organize 
for our work in January.

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