Before adjourning for the year, the House took an important step to ensure that Americans will not experience the serious voting problems that plagued the 2000 Election. From hanging chads to butterfly ballots to election officials who were misinformed, serious voting irregularities led many Americans to question the results of the 2000 Election.

    The Nov. 7, 2000 election may go down in history as our most controversial. On that day, 100 million Americans went to the polls, but an estimated 6 million failed to have their votes counted. The presidential election was not officially resolved until more than a month after election day, when a 5-to-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court blocked further counting of the ballots in Florida.

    We must never let old, antiquated voting machines or misinformed election officials cast doubt on the integrity of our election process. We have an obligation to make sure that every vote is counted and counted correctly.

    To that end, the House recently passed the bipartisan Help America Vote Act by a vote of 362 to 63. As a co-sponsor of the legislation, I am pleased that it reflects a mixture of minimum election standards and federal assistance to states. The bill will require all states to adopt:

• a statewide voter registration system linked to local jurisdictions; 
• in-precinct provisional voting; 
• a system for maintaining the accuracy of voter registration records; 
• uniform standards for defining what constitutes a vote on different types of voting equipment; 
• assurances that overseas and military voters have their votes counted; 
• assurances that voters have the opportunity to correct errors; and 
• practical and effective means for disabled voters to cast secret ballots on new voting equipment.

    The measure authorizes $2.65 billion for election reform, including $400 million for one-time payments to states and local governments to replace unreliable punch-card voting systems. The remaining $2.25 billion will be available to help states maintain accurate lists of eligible voters, improve equipment, recruit and train poll workers, improve access for disabled voters and educate voters about their rights.

    This measure is not a cure all for the problems that plagued the 2000 Election, but it is an important step in restoring faith in our democracy. The bill also has been endorsed by the National Commission on Federal Election Reform (co-chaired by former Presidents Ford and Carter), the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks, the Election Center and the National Federation of the Blind.

    Many Americans remember the bitterness and partisanship that surrounded the 2000 Election. It's time to give the states the resources they need to do the job right. No one wants a repeat of the last Presidential Election in 2004. The rights of all Americans to vote and have their say in choosing our nation's leaders are too important to compromise through sloppy administration and out-dated voting machines.