Civil Rights Monitor
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The CIVIL RIGHTS MONITOR is a quarterly publication that reports on civil rights issues pending before the three branches of government. The Monitor also provides a historical context within which to assess current civil rights issues. Back issues of the Monitor are available through this site. Browse or search the archives Volume 12 Number 1
Growing Support for Electoral Reform
Bipartisan Bill Introduced In Congress
On March 19, 2001, U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) introduced the Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001 (S.565/H.R.1170).
At a follow up press conference on June 21, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) joined Dodd, House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-MO), Conyers and several other members of Congress with representatives of the civil rights community to support passage of this vital legislation to address flaws in the voting system. The Dodd-Conyers bill establishes uniform statewide voting procedures, requires poll worker training, and contains a voter bill of rights. A major goal of the bill is to improve access to voting by improving public voter information programs, instituting modern voting technology, sending sample ballots for registered voters prior to election day, and allowing for provisional voting. It also ensures accommodation for language minorities and disabled voters. Most importantly, the bill provides federal funding to ensure that the reforms are implemented. "Clearly we need to repair the system that failed millions of Americans last fall, and ensure that all Americans, regardless of physical disability, race, language minority, or other circumstances, can participate in this democracy by exercising his or her right to vote," Dodd said. Daschle voiced his support for national reform as well, saying, "True election reform demands national resources and national leadership." The Senate Majority Leader also said the bill was essential because "it ensures that Americans will not be disenfranchised by language barriers or by disability. It ensures that the process of voting won't be corrupted by machines that don't work and volunteers who are too overwhelmed to help." The bill currently has 168 cosponsors in the House of Representatives, and 50 cosponsors in the Senate. Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights wrote in a letter to the Senate Rules Committee, "In order to ensure the integrity of our election process, and ultimately our democracy, we must guarantee that no person is denied access to the ballot...The LCCR strongly endorses the Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001 which will ensure equal access to the electoral process for all voters." On Aug. 2, the Senate Rules Committee approved The Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001, by a vote of 10 to 0. All of the Democrats on the committee voted in favor while the Republican members of the committee were not present. "The right to vote is a sacred foundation of our democracy. Sadly, that foundation has been badly cracked and its repair will take more than just whitewash or a coat of paint," said Dodd, Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. "This measure offers up concrete solutions to fix past problems and ensure that every vote is counted on election day." The bill carries the support of the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the National Council of La Raza, the National Federation of the Blind and more than 60 other organizations. On March 4, 2002, after months of negotiations and more than two weeks of Senate floor debate, a cloture vote on the bill failed.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Report
On June 8, the U.S Commission on Civil Rights voted 6 to 2 to release the Commission's report on the 2000 Florida general election. In the report, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission found that the disenfranchisement of Florida's voters fell most directly and unevenly on the shoulders of African Americans. Based upon county level statistical estimates, African American voters were nearly 10 times more likely than white voters to have their ballots rejected in Florida. On a statewide basis, while African Americans comprised approximately 11 percent of all voters in Florida in the 2000 presidential election, African Americans cast about 54 percent of the ballots that were rejected in the election. "The Civil Rights Commission's report on the 2000 Florida general election is a shocking confirmation of our worst fears about the effects of voting irregularities on the rights of Florida's African American citizens," said Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. "Florida was clearly the nation's epicenter of African American voter disenfranchisement; however, the Commission's findings regarding the scope of the disparate impact between African American and non-black voters are truly stunning," Henderson added. Allan Lichtman, a history professor at American University and a voting rights expert who reviewed Florida voting data for the Commission, said there was a "tremendous disparity" between the rates at which black and non-black votes were not counted. "I was quite amazed by what I found," said Lichtman. While the Commission's report does not allege intentional discrimination on the part of Florida officials, Henderson said, "Double digit disparities in the votes cast between black and non-black citizens go well beyond the norm, and seem to belie the rules of statistical chance. At a minimum, these findings demand a thorough investigation by the U. S. Department of Justice as to their cause, and to determine whether additional enforcement action is required by the Department of Justice." "The civil rights community is calling on the Bush Administration to immediately turn its attention to the electoral reforms needed to assure Americans that every vote counts," Henderson said. The LCCR urges the President to work with Congress to address the problems that were evident as a result of the last election and to provide the funding necessary to implement needed remedies. An updated version of the report is available on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights website.
Federal Election Reform Report
On July 31, the National Commission on Federal Election Reform, headed by former presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter released "To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process," a report regarding the 2000 election. The report provided an overview of the technologies used and the issues raised, including a brief history and characteristics of the different methods of voting, the design of ballots, explanations and sources of voter error, vote counting and standards. It discussed the changes that needed to be made, the potential federal role, and possible legislative solutions for the 107th Congresses. The recommendations included in the report propose several important remedies, such as restoring the franchise to people convicted of felonies, the use of provisional ballots and making election day a national holiday. However, the panel's recommendations do fall short in providing federal minimum standards and national requirements. The final version of the report is available on the Commission's website, http://www.reformelections.org/data/reports/99_full_report.php   
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