For Immediate Release - January 6, 2004
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) released the following statement addressing the 2005 Joint Session of Congress to count electoral votes for the 2004 Presidential election.
"Today, Congress will conduct a Joint Session to count Electoral Ballots. Along with Congressman John Conyers, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio and a number of other Representatives, I have raised objections to the way Ohio voting procedures was conducted.
Read the letter From House Members
John Conyers, Jr., Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Jesse Jackson, Jr.,
Jim McDermott, Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, Bernard Sanders, Eleanor H. Norton, Sam Farr, Chaka Fattah, Donald Payne,
Anthony Weiner, Diane Watson, Barbara Lee, Elijah Cummings,
Robert Wexler, Juanita Millender-McDonald, José E. Serrano,
Major Owens, Danny K. Davis, Dennis J. Kucinich, Sheila Jackson Lee, William Clay, Jr., Barney Frank.
Many people don’t understand why we are continuing to highlight problems that occurred in Ohio and elsewhere in the country when Senator Kerry has conceded the election and his campaign staff, as well as many independent analysts, believe that President Bush won Ohio, regardless of irregularities there.
The answer is this: The American people deserve to know that their votes count.
This is not about Ohio. This is about America. Bad election practices occurred in many places around the country. Ohio has become a focus because the election there was close and the loss of Ohio’s 20 electoral votes defeated Senator Kerry.
After the 2000 election fiasco, states were on notice that their procedures and safeguards had to be improved. Many states did the job, some did not. I don’t believe we should tolerate this situation any longer. I believe that it is time for the federal government to step in to make sure elections for federal offices are conducted legitimately so that all votes will be counted and all Americans can regain confidence in our electoral system.
Senator Kerry said yesterday that he will introduce comprehensive election reform legislation when the Senate reconvenes at the end of this month. I have already joined in some initiatives in the House that I believe are critical, including:
• abolishing the electoral college so the candidate supported by the most voters nationwide will be declared the winner;
• making election day a federal holiday so voters who have to wait in lines won’t be forced to give up their right to vote because they need to get back to work;
• requiring a verified paper receipt and paper trail for electronic screen voting machines;
• allowing ex-felons who have completed their sentences to register
and vote;
• and fully funding the Help Americans Vote Act (HAVA).
This is a beginning. There are undoubtedly other needed reforms. I will continue to work on this issue until the problems are finally solved."
Revision date: May 10, 2005
