THE FINAL ACT: On January 30, 2002, John Conyers Jr., the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee wrote in the New York Times: Voting Rights in Peril By JOHN CONYERS JR. January 30, 2002, New York Times Op-Ed. “WASHINGTON   --   At   the   heart   of   the  debate  over  reforming  the  nation's electoral  system  lies  the  question  of  whether  standards  for  voting  should  be set  by  the  federal  government  or  left  up  to  state  and  local  election  officials. It  is  hardly  a  surprise  that  the  Election  Reform  Information  Project  found,  in a   survey   released   last   week,   that   state   and   local   officials   would   prefer   to continue     exercising     exclusive     authority     over     federal     elections.     But     it     is disappointing   nonetheless.   The   national   voting   rights   standards   that   I   have pushed   for   in   the  House  and  that  Senator  Christopher  Dodd  has  pressed  in the Senate provide fundamental safeguards that should have been guaranteed long ago.   The   House   has   unwisely   passed   a   bill   that   grants   states   nearly   unfettered discretion  in  the  administration  of  elections.  The  Senate  is  set  to  take  a  more aggressive   approach.   The   real   question   for   the   committee   that   will   reconcile the   differences   is   not   what   state   and   local   officials   prefer,   but   what   will guarantee that the problems with our elections will be fixed.   At  a  minimum,  the  states  should  be  required  to  provide  accessible  and  well- functioning    machines    for    citizens    who    speak    languages    other    than    English and   for   those   with   disabilities.   Voters   who   have   been   wrongly   purged   from registration records should be allowed to cast provisional ballots.   America    has    tried    leaving    election    decisions    to    each    state.    We    have    no minimum   federal   voting   rights   standards   for   voting   machines.   The   result:   In the    2000    presidential    election,    1.5    million    ballots    were    discarded    due    to defective voting equipment. We have no minimum federal standards guaranteeing   the   right   of   a   voter   with   a   disability   to   cast   a   private   and independent  vote.  The  result:  In  2000,  47  percent  of  voters  with  disabilities encountered physical barriers or had trouble getting to the polling place.   State   and   local   officials   say   they   will   eventually   make   necessary   changes   on their    own.    History    teaches    us,    however,    that    states    have    been    slow    in outlawing     discrimination.     In     1868,     the     14th     Amendment     was     adopted, guaranteeing    black    citizens    the    rights    and    privileges    of    citizenship.    In    the name   of   states'   rights,   implementation   was   left   to   local   control.   This   model failed,    and    federal    legislation    became    necessary:    Without    the    Civil    Rights