ELECTION REFORM: Show Me the Money
After the debacle in Florida and elsewhere in the 2000 election, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) which allocated more than $3 billion dollars for states to purchase new equipment, train election workers, establish voter registration databases and make other needed reforms. But because of foot-dragging by the Administration and conservative leadership in Congress, the vast majority of the money – over $2.3 billion – has yet to be distributed. The election reform law required the creation of an Election Assistance Commission before most funds could be dispersed. That commission just came into existence this week. The EAC still has no phones, no email and no dedicated office space. The EAC's first meeting is scheduled for March 23, although no one knows where it will be held. The delay means many of the most needed improvements, including statewide computerized voter registration data, are "at least a year and a half behind."
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