Congress Ignores Major Flaws in U.S. Electoral System, Including Partisanship Administration of Voter Registration and Ballot Count

Interview with Bruce Ackerman, Yale University professor of constitutional law, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Although it appears that George W. Bush won the presidential election with a majority of electoral votes and about 3 million more votes than his opponent -- the election also revealed deep -- perhaps fatal flaws in the linchpin of American democracy -- the concept that everyone's vote counts equally. Watchdog groups documented problems with voter intimidation, so-called "lost" ballots, and millions of ballots that were cast on electronic voting machines with no paper trail.

One flaw that underlies many of the nation's electoral problems is that the guarantor in each state of a citizens' right to vote -- the secretary of state -- is a partisan political operative. This was made starkly clear in Florida's 2000 election, when Secretary of State Katherine Harris served simultaneously as candidate George W. Bush campaign co-chair. The same thing occurred this year in the critical state of Ohio, where Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell served as co-chair of President Bush's re-election campaign in that state.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Bruce Ackerman, professor of constitutional law at Yale University School of Law, about the origins of the American system which has partisan officials overseeing the electoral process, and explains how other nations surpass the U.S. when it comes to running fair and transparent elections.

For more information on electoral reforms, call the Center for Voting and Democracy at (301) 270-4616 or visit the group's website at www.fairvote.org

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