Teachers Guide to Election Reform Page 1 LESSON 2: ELECTION REFORM PROPOSALS Background information: Following the election of 2000, more than 1,500 pieces of election related legislation were introduced. More than 50 reports were issued by national organizations, special legislative committees, and federal agencies. Numerous state and local elections administrators made recommendations on how to reform America’s election system.   “Voters going to the polls in 2002 are going to expect sweeping changes, and those changes are not yet going to be in place,” Sharon Priest, Arkansas Secretary of State and former President of the National Association of Secretaries of State has said, “…even in 2003, legislators still will be working on reforms. In 2004, voters will begin to see some noticeable differences.” “Most areas of election conduct are purely state and locally regulated,” says Utah House Speaker Martin Stephens, who co-chaired the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) Election Reform Task Force. “Poll closings, ballot design, and recount procedures are all matters that have historically been taken care of by state law and local regulation.” For current election procedures, please visit www.nationalmockelection.com. Visit the “Guide to the Electoral Process” to find up to date information. Lesson Overview: Students will examine the major proposals for election reform. They will investigate topics related to election reform. They will determine the differences between House and Senate versions of election reform bills. Students will form their own opinions about what aspects of the election reform bills should remain. Teaching Procedures: Activity 1: Examine and evaluate some of the major proposals for election reform. Among them were: o  The National Commission on Federal Election Reform co-chaired by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Note: The Commission stated “.…there is evidence of a bigger payoff, per dollar spent, in voter education and poll worker training,” than in any other efforts at election reform (italics ours). Among its 13 recommendations, the commission urged that Election Day be a national holiday and that a new Election Administration Commission be established to create voting system standards and testing. The Commission also urged that voters challenged by poll workers should be allowed to cast provisional ballots, the validity of which would be determined later, and the voting rights of convicted felons be restored.   o  The Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project surveyed voting equipment across the country and found “…between 4 million and 6 million votes were lost in the 2000 election.” (This figure was later reduced to 3 million.) Project researchers recommended that optical scanners be used instead of punch cards and lever