Bill introduced to make vote-result challenge easier

BY WILLIAM E. GIBSON

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - With the blessing of movie director Michael Moore, three U.S. House members from Florida introduced a bill on Tuesday that would make it easier for Congress to challenge the official certification of presidential election results.

The trio used bitterness from the 2000 election and the opening scene of Moore's controversial movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11," to promote their legislation and to call attention to ongoing concerns about election practices in Florida.

Moore got in the act by issuing a statement applauding the three for "showing great courage in standing up for the African-American voters who were disenfranchised in 2000 and in standing against a system that is broken and not serving the values of democracy."

One scene in the documentary - a polemic about President Bush's role in the war on terror - presents footage of the actual congressional process in January 2001 when electoral votes were certified.

The three Democratic sponsors of the bill - Reps. Peter Deutsch of Fort Lauderdale, Alcee Hastings of Miramar and Corrine Brown of Jacksonville - had challenged the electoral certification by seeking a congressional inquiry.

Their challenge was based in part on concerns that many voters, especially African-Americans in Florida, had been excluded from the polls or that their votes had not been counted. The challenge faltered when no member of the Senate joined the objection.

Current law requires a member from each chamber of Congress to insist on an inquiry, which could delay the certification and open the way for debate and potential recounts.

Former Vice President Al Gore, who had conceded the presidential election and discouraged further challenges, presided over the verification of the Electoral College vote. Resigned to defeat, Gore and Democrats in the Senate had decided the nation needed to unite and move on.

"I found it almost astounding that Al Gore would call me and ask me not to do what we did," Hastings said on Tuesday. A recount of all the votes in Florida might have reversed the results, Hastings said.

The legislation introduced on Tuesday would allow a member of either chamber to delay certification by raising an objection.

"What we really want, what every American should want, is honesty and transparency in the electoral process," Deutsch said.

The legislation faces daunting prospects in Congress but serves to highlight lasting frustration with voting practices, including concerns about new machines and attempts to purge felons from the rolls.

"This election is shaping up in Florida to be the same as the 2000 election: another coup d'etat," said Rep. Brown. "We've got to shed a light on Florida."

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