Senate Committee on Rules and Administration Hearing   ...1 of 1 >
Feb. 12, 2014 - The co-chairs of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration discussed the findings of their work at a U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration hearing today. The Commission, established by President Obama following the 2012 election in part to address the problem of long lines at the polls, first presented its report and recommendations to the president at the White House three weeks ago on Jan. 22. 
In his opening statement Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) described the
commission’s report as "an outstanding piece of work, a valuable roadmap for improving election administration in this country."  "While the commission’s charge did not include recommendations for federal legislation, the report makes it clear there are areas of existing law and its enforcement [that] must be improved," Schumer said.   In his opening statement Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), ranking member of the Committee, noted, "The Commission was charged with making best practice recommendations rather than legislative recommendations, and that is what the report has done.  It recognizes that elections are carried out at the state and local level and that is where we must focus our attention."

Co-chair Bob Bauer provided an overview of the Commission's report, which presents recommendations in six areas.  He said the Commission did not attempt to define a "one size fits all" approach, but there are some major common issues faced by election administrators around the country including inadequate funding and resources, need for techological upgrades and enforcement of existing law.   Co-chair Ben Ginsberg warned that, "The state of our voting equipment and technology is an impending crisis" and said the federal certification system overseen by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission is "broken and must be reformed."  Responding to a question from Sen. Roberts, Ginsberg said long lines which occurred in some polling places were not the result of any plots or conspiracies to disenfranchise voters.  "This was a management issue," Ginsberg stated.  On the question of lines, the Commission set an objective of maximum 30-minute wait time.  Ginsberg said the work of the Commission should be viewed not as a one-time report, but as an ongoing project, and he pointed to tools available on the Commission's website to help election administrators. 
After the hearing Commission co-chairs Bob Bauer (left) and Ben Ginsberg (right) talk with R. Doug Lewis, executive director of the National Association of Election Officials.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Bob Bauer share a laugh; behind them Ben Ginsberg (not visible, behind Klobuchar) talks with Jim Dickson, the indefatiguable vice president for organizing and civic engagement at The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).

Links
U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
Presidential Commission on Election Administration
The Committee was to hold an executive business meeting to consider the nominations of Thomas Hicks and Myrna Perez to be members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission but a quorum was not present.  Their nominations have been in limbo; Hicks (recommended by Pelosi) was nominated by President Obama in March 2010 and Perez (recommended by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in March 2011.
EAC nominee Thomas Hicks' experience includes senior Democratic elections counsel for the Committee on House Administration.
Myrna Pérez, the second Democratic EAC nominee, is deputy director of the Brennan Center for Justice.  The Republican National Lawyers Association opposes her nomination.  In this Feb. 12 letter, RNLA President Craig Burkhardt writes "her views are so far outside the mainstream as to be objectionable to reasonable people on the right and the left and...she has demonstrated a willingness to manufacture fact to support her views when the real facts do not do so."  Specifically the letter refers to Pérez' views on list maintenence and voter ID.
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