Letter from My Representative on Election 2004

I appreciate you being part of a very significant volume of correspondence I have received about the last election, its implications, and the integrity of the process itself. If the election results had been even a little bit closer, there are enough gaps in what we know, several questionable processes, and anecdotal evidence that would have pitched us into a prolonged period of uncertainty of the outcome. We do know from what happened with this Presidential election though that our task is far from finished. Indeed, we have barely started.

To work to improve the transparency and equity, I was a cosponsor of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 that was passed during the previous Congress. I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 2239, the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act," which would amend HAVA to require that all states use vote machines that produce a paper trail. Unfortunately, there was great reluctance on part of some of my colleagues to implement reasonable reforms in time for the 2004 election. Shortly after the election, several Members of Congress requested that the Government Accountability Office investigate the efficacy of voting machines and new technologies used in the 2004 election. There may be additional lawsuits and investigations. I will continue to look for every opportunity to advocate appropriate ways to strengthen the integrity of the process.

At a minimum I think it is long past time for having independent, professional, non-political officials manage our elections. The notion that every state has partisan elected officials running elections is inappropriate. We also should have the people directly elect the president, rather than continuing to use the Electoral College and must reform the redistricting process so that we stop having politicians picking the voters, rather than the voters picking the politicians.

Thanks again for writing. I will continue to push for adequate reforms in the upcoming Congress.

Sincerely,

Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress