Bipartisan Federal Elections Review Commission Act IntroducedA bipartisan bill, HR 57, sponsored by U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Jim Leach (R-IA), was introduced on November 15, 2000 and reintroduced on January 3, 2001. Please contact your Representative and urge him/her to co-sponsor this sensible legislation. Representative DeFazio makes his case for the bill: "Voting System Needs Scrutiny," Eugene Register-Guard, Dec 13. It would establish a nonpartisan, 12-member commission to examine the advisability and feasibility of proportional voting systems, instant runoff voting, cumulative voting, and other election-related issues -- including the electoral college; voter registration options like same-day registration and universal registration; ballot access issues; mail-in balloting; internet voting; polling place closing times; ballot design; voting system technology; presidential debates; early voting; and other issues. Membership on the commission would include a broad cross section of regional and political perspectives, and would include experts in the fields of federal election law, the U.S. Constitution, and United States history. The Center for Voting and Democracy provided assistance and suggestions in the drafting of this bill. Passage of this legislation will boost electoral reform efforts nationally. Members of Congress are starting to pay attention -- let's contact our representatives and get them to co-sponsor this legislation, the "Federal Elections Review Commission Act" (HR 57 in the 107th Congress). You may contact your Member of Congress at 202-224-3121. Text of the "Dear Colleague" letter that Reps. Leach and DeFazio sent around appears below. The legislation appears below. As with any piece of Congressional legisation, it can be accessed on line at Thomas. Just enter "hr 57" under "Bill Number" and be sure to search the 107th Congress. Federal
Elections Review Commission Act HR 57 IH H. R.
57 IN THE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3,
2001
Mr. DEFAZIO (for himself, Mr. LEACH, Mr. LAMPSON, Mr.
MCGOVERN, Mr. FROST, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. OLVER, Mr. CLEMENT, Ms.
RIVERS, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. MCKINNEY, Ms. LEE, Mr. CARDIN, Mr.
COSTELLO, Mr. WU, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr.
UDALL of Colorado, Mr. BALDACCI, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr.
FILNER, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. EVANS, Mr. FARR of California, Ms. HOOLEY
of Oregon, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. ISAKSON, and Mr. GILLMOR) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House
Administration A
BILL Be it
enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act
may be cited as the `Federal Elections Review Commission
Act'. SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION;
MEMBERSHIP.
(a)
ESTABLISHMENT- There is established a commission to be known as the
Federal Elections Review Commission (hereafter in this Act referred
to as the `Commission'). (b)
PURPOSE- The purpose of the Commission shall be to study the nature
and consequences of the Federal electoral process and make
recommendations to ensure the integrity of, and public confidence
in, Federal elections. (c)
MEMBERSHIP- The Commission shall be composed of 12 members, who
shall be appointed as follows: (1) Three
members shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the
Senate based on recommendations by the majority leader of the
Senate. (2) Three
members shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the
Senate based on recommendations of the minority leader of the
Senate. (3) Three
members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives. (4) Three
members shall be appointed by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives. (d)
QUALIFICATIONS OF MEMBERS- Members shall be appointed to the
Commission from among individuals who-- (1) have
expertise in Federal election laws, the United States Constitution,
and the history of the United States, or other pertinent
qualifications or experience; and (2) are not
officers or employees of the United States. (e) OTHER
CONSIDERATIONS- In appointing members of the Commission, every
effort shall be made to ensure that the members-- (1) represent
a broad cross section of regional and political perspectives in the
United States; and (2) provide
fresh insights to analyzing the Federal electoral process in order
to maintain the integrity of, and public confidence in, such
process. (f) PERIOD
OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES- (1) Members of the Commission shall be
appointed not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this
Act. Appointments shall be for the life of the
Commission. (2) Any
vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the powers of the
Commission, and shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointment. (g) INITIAL
MEETING- Not later than 30 days after the date on which all members
of the Commission have been appointed, the Commission shall hold its
first meeting. (h)
CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON- The members of the Commission
shall elect a chairperson and vice chairperson from among the
members of the Commission. (i)
ADDITIONAL MEETINGS- The Commission shall meet at the call of the
chairperson. (j) QUORUM-
A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business. (k) VOTING-
A vote of a member of the Commission with respect to the duties of
the Commission shall have the same weight as the vote of any other
member of the Commission. SEC. 3. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.
(a) IN
GENERAL- The Commission shall examine the nature and consequences of
the Federal electoral process and make recommendations to ensure the
integrity of, and public confidence in, Federal
elections. (b)
SPECIFIC ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED- The Commission shall examine and
report to the President, the Congress, and the Federal Election
Commission on, at a minimum, the following: (1) The
historic rationale for the electoral college, its impact on
Presidential elections, and the advisability of its abolition or
other options for reform, including the possibility for proportional
allocation of electors within States. (2) Voter
registration issues, including same-day registration, universal
registration, the impact of `motor voter' registration, and the
accuracy of voter registration rolls. (3) Ballot
access issues, including the procedural hurdles that political
parties must overcome to be placed on ballots, the role of mail-in
balloting in Federal elections, and the distinction between mail-in
and absentee balloting, including the uniformity or lack thereof of
the deadlines for the receipt of ballots. (4) Ballot
design and technology issues, including the impact of the physical
ballot design, the advantages and disadvantages of various
technologies (including voting through the use of the Internet) used
to cast and count votes, the feasibility and advisability of setting
uniform national ballot design and technology standards, the impact
of the language used on ballots, the simplicity of language, and the
use of foreign language ballots. (5) Election
day polling place issues, including the impact of polling place
closing times, the number and accessibility of polling places, the
training of poll workers, and voter education. (6) The
feasibility and advisability of changing to multiple day elections,
weekend elections, expanding early voting options, and limiting
campaign activities (including advertising and fundraising) to a set
period of time. (7) The
impact of winner-take-all voting, and the feasibility and
advisability of election reforms such as instant runoff voting,
proportional representation, and fusion balloting, with a particular
emphasis on the impact on voter turnout and expanding political
dialog. (8) The
unique problems faced in voting by members of the uniformed
services, especially members stationed overseas, and options for
reform of the voting process for such individuals. (9) The
presidential primary process and the presidential debate process,
and options for reform of such processes. (10) The
costs of implementing various election reform proposals and options
for paying for such proposals, including Federal
cost-sharing. (c)
ANALYSIS OF IMPACT ON CERTAIN ISSUES- With respect to each of the
issues referred to in subsection (b), in carrying out its
examination and report the Commission shall take into
consideration-- (1) the
speed, accuracy, and security of votes and vote counts;
and (2) the
impact on various demographic groups, including racial minorities,
individuals with disabilities, residents of rural areas, and
residents of urban areas. SEC. 4. FINAL REPORT.
(a) IN
GENERAL- Not later than 12 months after the date of the initial
meeting of the Commission, the Commission shall submit to the
President and the Congress a final report including-- (1) the
findings and conclusions of the Commission; and (2)
recommendations for addressing the problems identified as part of
the Commission's analysis. (b)
SEPARATE VIEWS- Any member of the Commission may submit additional
findings and recommendations as part of the final
report. SEC. 5. POWERS.
(a)
HEARINGS- The Commission may hold such hearings, sit and act at such
times and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as
the Commission may find advisable to fulfill the requirements of
this Act. The Commission shall hold at least one hearing in the
District of Columbia, and at least four hearings in other regions of
the United States. (b)
INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES- The Commission may secure
directly from any Federal department or agency such information as
the Commission considers necessary to carry out the provisions of
this Act. Upon request of the chairperson of the Commission, the
head of such department or agency shall furnish such information to
the Commission. (c) POSTAL
SERVICES- The Commission may use the United States mails in the same
manner and under the same conditions as other departments and
agencies of the Federal Government. SEC. 6. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.
(a)
COMPENSATION- Each member of the Commission shall be compensated at
a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay
prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315
of title 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel time)
during which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties
of the Commission. (b) STAFF-
(1) The chairperson of the Commission may appoint staff of the
Commission, request the detail of Federal employees, and accept
temporary and intermittent services in accordance with section 3161
of title 5, United States Code. (2) The
employment of an executive director of the Commission shall be
subject to the approval of the Commission. (3) The
rate of pay for the executive director and other personnel of the
Commission may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the
Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title. SEC. 7. SUPPORT SERVICES.
The
Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Commission on
a reimbursable basis such administrative support services as the
Commission may request. SEC. 8. TERMINATION.
The
Commission shall terminate not later than the date that is 30 days
after the date the Commission submits its final report under section
4. SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF
APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for the Commission to carry out this Act. Is There A
Better Way to Elect Federal Officials? Dear Colleague: A healthy democracy requires the unquestioned legitimization of elections and public confidence in government institutions. Unfortunately, these cornerstones are being eroded by the ongoing election disputes in the presidential race and various congressional contests around the country. To help restore the integrity of, and public confidence in, the federal electoral process, we have introduced legislation (H.R. 5631) (in the 106th, H.R. 57 in the 107th - ed ) to create a non-partisan Federal Elections Review Commission. The commission would be made up of experts in election law, the U.S. Constitution, and U.S. history, not elected officials or party loyalists. The Commission would not be looking into allegations of irregularities in the most recent election. Rather, the Commission would take a broader, systemic look at a variety of aspects of federal elections including:
|