John Kerry's position on

Voting Reform: October 29, 2002 President Bush signed into law the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in response to the debacle of the 2000 presidential election. HAVA authorized $3.86 billion in funding for states to improve election operations and set standards for voting, voting registration, as well as, those that oversee the federal election process. Kerry approved the signing of the act into law, but felt that the act failed to address some relevant issues that were prominent during the 2000 election.

Description of candidate's position: HAVA (link) authorized $3.86 billion in funding for states to improve election operations and set standards for voting, voting registration, as well as, those that oversee the federal election process. Kerry agreed with the bipartisan recommendation to allow those who have served their sentences to be allowed to vote and felt that there was no excuse for a technologically advanced country to be using outdated voting equipment. However, Kerry feels that HAVA's voter registration guidelines may in fact disenfranchise a large number of voters and does not adequately address voter fraud issues. (link) Kerry hopes to implement a team of election observers along with lawyers to ensure that voter rights aren't violated and enforce the law during the 2004 presidential election. (link) 

Quotation from candidate: "When I'm the nominee of the party, I intend to put together a legal team across this country. And we are going to prechallenge some of these automatic machines -- the Diebold machines -- where there have already been problems. And we're going to prechallenge and have a team across this country who are focused on those particular areas of the country where they are notorious about switching addresses, telling people they're not registered, intimidating people, and we will have the strongest democracy poll- watching effort in the history of this country so that every vote is counted so I can become president of the United States". Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum, January 11, 2004. (link)

Assessment of the proposal:

Positive: Although the NAACP- Legal Defense and Education Fund (NAACP-LDF), whose mission is to provide legal assistance to low income African Americans and greater justice for all, supports HAVA in that "it impacts every stage of the voting process". The NAACP-LDF feels that HAVA's voter identification requirements will still disenfranchise many minority voters. "LDF is concerned that HAVA's identification provisions place too much discretion in the hands of election administrators to interpret HAVA requirements and that this discretion will cause foreseeable harms in future elections". (link)

Negative: The Center for Voting and Democracy, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to fair elections, backs HAVA and feels that the act has improved many issues and concerns with the election administration process. "The passage of the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) is greatly aiding efforts to improve voting equipment, voter registration files, voter education and pollworker training". (link)

Comparison: While Bush and Kerry both felt the need for voting reform, especially after the debacle of the 2000 presidential election and many voters being turned away at the polls. Kerry felt that the Help America Vote Act of 2002 did not adequately address issues of voter fraud and voter identification guidelines may in fact disenfranchise many voters rather than allow them to exercise their right to vote.

Link to Bush's issue page