Election Support Consolidation and Efficiency Act

Floor Speech

* Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition of H.R. 672, the Election Support Consolidation and Efficiency Act, which eliminates the Election Assistance Commission, EAC. I oppose this legislation because terminating the EAC risks reducing the voting and civil rights of our citizens--rights for which many have given their lives.

* The EAC is charged with developing standards for voting systems, and this precedent-setting work has been recognized by nations around the world. The EAC's certification program uses its oversight role to coordinate with manufacturers and local election officials to ensure that existing voting equipment meets durability and longevity standards. This relieves states and local governments of burdensome costs of acquiring new but unnecessary voting equipment.

* Several countries are so impressed with our system that they have signed agreements with the EAC for technical assistance as they develop their own voting system standards and certification procedures.

* The EAC has also played a central role in improving the accessibility of voting for the country's more than 37 million voters with disabilities. We still have a long way to go to achieve the Help America Vote Act's mandate to make voting accessible and the EAC's leadership is essential to continuing the effort to offer all Americans the right to vote ``privately and independently.''

* Mr. Speaker, it is worth recalling that the EAC, an independent bipartisan commission charged with improving the conduct of elections in America to ensure that every vote counts, was born out of the 2000 presidential election fiasco with its unforgettable contributions to the political lexicon: ``hanging'' chads, ``pregnant'' chads, ``dimpled'' chads; ``butterfly ballots''; and ``voter intent.''

* In response to the 2000 debacle, the EAC has performed valuable work to ensure the reliability and trustworthiness of our nation's election systems. It has played a central role in collecting accurate and comparable election data. With our nation's complex and diversified election administration system, central data collection is essential if we are going to improve our citizens' trust and confidence in election results. EAC develops and fosters the training and organization of our nation's more than 8,000 election administrators.

* Terminating EAC is not only an invitation to repeat the embarrassment of the 2000 presidential election, but it breaks faith with those who labored long and risked much to secure the right to vote for all Americans, particularly African Americans and other minority groups.

* Mr. Speaker, if you believe every vote counts--and every vote should be counted--then we must preserve the EAC and oppose this legislation.

* It is also important to note that abolishing the EAC would simply shift costs to the Federal Election Commission and local governments, not save taxpayer money. The FEC is not an agency that can make decisions in a timely and responsive fashion due to its partisan divisions. Consequently, transferring the functions performed by the EAC to the FEC is inconsistent with the national interest in ensuring election integrity, improving voter access to the polls, and enhancing the quality of election systems.

* For these reasons, I strongly oppose H.R. 672 and I would urge my colleagues to join me in defeating this misguided and reckless legislation that puts the integrity of our election systems--public confidence in election outcomes--at risk.

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