[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16063]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            ELECTION REFORM

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I will take 2 more minutes, if I can, to 
say a word about the election reform measure that Senator Dodd spoke 
about just a few minutes ago.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor of that election reform measure. I thank 
the Senator from Connecticut for leading this effort, for being such a 
terrific and articulate spokesperson for improving our election system 
in this Nation.
  It truly is a travesty and really a hypocrisy for us to encourage 
people to register to vote, urge them to exercise their full rights as 
citizens, and then not count their votes, or turn them away at the 
polls.
  In the year 2001, that should not be the case. That should not be the 
case at any time. Unfortunately, there have been dark places in our 
history where people by the millions were turned away or were not 
allowed to register. Our country has made great progress.
  As the last election showed, and as we need to discuss when we come 
back, we have a lot of fixing to do. There are improvements that need 
to be made. We need to proudly stand up to the world and say: Yes, we 
want our citizens registered, and if they are a legal voter, whether 
they are in a wheelchair, visually impaired, or have other physical 
challenges, despite the fact they may be older or not as strong and as 
able, they have a right to vote and they have a right to have their 
vote counted, and they have a right to the kind of equipment and 
technology that is available that makes sure those votes are counted 
and certified.
  In conclusion, no system is going to be perfect, but the evidence is 
in to suggest that the system we have in the United States can and 
should be perfected. I am proud that in Louisiana we do have 
standardized voting machines, and we have worked very hard on opening 
access to those polling places.
  Even in Louisiana, where we do have standardized voting machines, and 
state-of-the-art technology in poor and wealthy districts, rural and 
urban districts, we can make improvements there.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on this important 
subject when we return.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Carnahan). Will the Senator withhold her 
request for a quorum call?
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Yes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.

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