[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 301]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 20, 2005

  Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to state that it 
was my intention to vote against the objection raised against the 
electoral vote count in Ohio. Unfortunately, due to the timing of the 
vote, the short notice of the vote, and various weather related issues, 
I was unable to fly back to Washington, DC in time to cast my vote in 
the afternoon of January 6th. I am however, hand-delivering this 
message to the Clerk of the House in Washington, DC, today January 7th, 
in order to make my voice heard and to explain my absence. I 
wholeheartedly support the election results of 2004 and do not believe 
that this objection was the right course of action. Congress has 
repeatedly looked at the issue of election practices and fairness and 
has taken action where it sees fit; most recently with the Help America 
Vote Act. We will continue to look at these issues from the 2004 
election and take necessary steps to ensure that our election process 
is a free, fair, and open one. I regret the fact that I was unable to 
cast my official vote, but it is my hope that these words will convey 
my strong beliefs on this issue and that by hand-delivering this 
message, my intent to personally partake in this debate will be 
reflected.

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