Grabien Mobile App
Get Grabien on the go!
  Collapse  

Flashback: Nancy Pelosi Calls for Electoral Reform Following the 2004 Elections

‘It’s not about conspiracy, it’s about the constitution’
By Grabien Staff

Flashback, Jan. 6, 2005:
 

PELOSI: Mr. Speaker, today we are witnessing democracy at work. This is not, as some of our Republican colleagues have referred to it, sadly, frivolous. This debate is fundamental to our democracy. The representatives of the American people in this House are standing up for three fundamental American beliefs: that the right to vote is sacred; that a Representative has a duty to represent his or her constituents; and that the rule of law is the hallmark of our Nation. Under the rule of law, today this House will accept the election of President Bush and Vice President Cheney as President and Vice President of the United States. There is absolutely no question about that. This is not in any way about rejecting that outcome. So, please, let us be respectful of each other and understand what it is about.

Today’s electoral challenge is not intended to overturn the results of the election. It is instead to discuss the real problems with our electoral system and the failings of the process in Ohio and elsewhere. It is about election reform, not about the election result. The Members of Congress who have brought this challenge are speaking up for their aggrieved constituents, many of whom may have been disenfranchised in this process. This is their only opportunity to have this debate while the country is listening, and it is appropriate to do so. If there were other venues of this caliber, we would have taken that opportunity. But this is the opportunity. We have a responsibility to take advantage of it.

The right to vote is the foundation of our democracy. A discussion of that foundation, again, should not be considered frivolous. As the Supreme Court noted: ‘No right is more precious in a free country than that of having a voice in the election of those who make the laws under which as good citizens we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined.’ I repeat: ‘Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined.’ The principle of one person-one vote is sacred in our country, and we must do everything to uphold it. Yet more than 225 years since our founding, there are still legitimate concerns over the integrity of our elections and of ensuring the principle of one person-one vote, that every person has access to voting and that every vote will be counted.

Twenty years ago, I was chair of the California Democratic Party. It was our function, it was our purpose to remove obstacles of participation to voting. The greater responsibility, of course, was with the Secretary of State in our State and in States across the country who controlled the elections in the State. But we all, in all of our capacities, had a responsibility to remove, not throw up, obstacles to participation. I know that this issue is not just about counting votes, but what happens in all three phases, before, during and after the election; and in all three phases, there were problems in this election in Ohio and elsewhere.

Before the election, there were complaints about absentee ballots that were requested, but did not arrive. There were reports of registration problems and of improper purging of the voting rolls. The Ohio Secretary of State made decisions about provisional ballots, partisan poll watchers and paper requirements for registration forms that some found questionable, leading to widespread confusion and possible disenfranchisement. During the election we know that there were not enough voting machines in poorer and minority areas. This is a fact. Yet there were sufficient machines in wealthier areas. This led to appallingly long waiting times of up to 10 hours in certain places. You can deny it all you want, but it is a matter of public record that this is a fact, and this is wrong.

There were credible reports of voter suppression on Election Day through intimidation and misinformation and the patchwork use of provisional ballots led to unequal treatment under the law; unequal treatment under the law, undermining the principles of one person-one vote and equal protection. As for after the election, the American people must have every confidence that every vote legally cast will be legally counted and accurately counted. But constantly shifting vote tallies in Ohio and malfunctioning electronic machines which may not have paper receipts have led to additional loss of confidence by the public. As elected officials, we have a solemn responsibility to improve our election system and its administration. We cannot be here again 4 years from now discussing the failings of the 2008 election.

We must work with the Elections Assistance Commission to further reform the election process, and we must pass legislation to improve the Help America Vote Act, including universal standards for provisional ballot and strong verification measures and paper trails. I want to commend Mr. Ney, the distinguished chairman of the House Administration Committee, for his leadership in helping to pass the HAVA Act, which is really where we are pinning our hopes, Mr. Ney, and to Mr. Hoyer, who served in that capacity with you, and now in the Senate others, a broader array of people who are weighing in on that. Congress must seize the opportunity this year to reauthorize the act and to make the needed reforms and improvements. Our very democracy depends again on the confidence of the American people and the integrity of our electoral system. So, my colleagues, please do not talk about this as a ‘’conspiracy theory.’ It is not about that. It is not about conspiracy; it is about the Constitution of the United States. George Bush and Dick Cheney are the elected President and Vice President of the United States, and I think the objection will be overruled today in that regard. It has never been about that. It has always been about the fundamental principle of the legitimacy of our electoral process.

Congress will resolve this dispute today, and we will all abide by the results because we are a nation of laws. America is a beacon of democracy to the world. We must never forget the power of our own example to those who aspire to freedom throughout the world. So let us respect this debate today for what it is, about ensuring the foundation of our very own democracy, and by sending a message to the world that we are truly, truly protective of our Constitution and that we honor the oath of office that we take to protect and defend the Constitution. I urge my colleagues all to join together in a bipartisan way for electoral reform to follow on the good work that I mentioned of Mr. Ney earlier and Mr. Hoyer and to make sure that 4 years from now we will come together not having to have this kind of debate, but that today’s debate will serve the purpose that it is intended to have for our country. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Like our work? Support the cause.
$
/