May 19th Voter Rights March News
Articles and Broadcasts:
ABC World News, Saturday, May
19th, 2001, ABC TV, 6:00 PM
Newscast: Electoral Reform in US Faces Challenges
SUSAN ROBERTS and DALE SOLLY,
anchors: Voters Rights March: The 2000 Presidential
election has come and gone, but many people still have not
forgotten that chaotic voting situation in Florida and today
activists spoke up for change. Protestors rallied in
downtown Washington in favor of voting and electoral
reforms. They converged near the White House to make a
call for a Voters Bill of Rights, including a full investigation
of irregularities in the Presidential election, as well as
funding to replace old voting machines.
(Pictures of Lafayette Park, including Joel Landy playing guitar
on stage and protestors with signs, including Toxic Texan, I
Dissent, One Person One Vote, Voter Rights March to Restore
Democracy with map of Florida and Jim Crow, t-shirt with
"Expose the Coup...")
ABC News:
World News Saturday, May 19, 2001
Newscast: Electoral Reform in US Faces challenges
ELIZABETH
VARGAS, anchor: The election of 2000 is long over, but the protests
continued today. In San Francisco hundreds marched, demanding electoral
reform. There was a similar march in Washington DC. But as Liz
Cho reports, changes in the system face many challenges.
LIZ CHO
reporting:
(VO) Today in Chicago, a voting machine demonstration, showing
new technology that
alerts voters if there's a problem with their ballot.
Mr.
MICHAEL KRELOFF (Director, Cook County Clerks Office): Every time
there's a dimple, every time there's an over vote this equipment
will shoot the
ballot right back to the voter and let the voter fix it.
CHO: (VO)
Last year Illinois spent $26 million to purchase this technology,
but because of a state law, it was not used in the November election.
The result? Cook County had 123,000 uncounted ballots, more than
any other state.
Representative
MAXINE WATERS (Democrat, California): Many people are still
being shocked at the idea that perhaps their vote really didn't count,
that somehow their vote got kicked out by a machine.
CHO:
(VO) Punch card ballots, the system blamed for the presidential election
debacle, are the most common voting method in the country. As a
result, voter reform is now gaining momentum.
(OC)
The biggest problem is that the cost is prohibitive. Several states,
including Illinois, are considering overhauling their electoral system.
But most are waiting for federal dollars to help defray the
cost.
(VO) Congress is now
considering a new bill that would over $2.5 billion
over five years to help state and local governments buy new machines
in time for the 2002 elections. That relief may not come in time.
So far, Florida is the only state that has taken steps to reform its
system.
Professor
DAVID KING (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University):
They've done a good job. They're going to reduce errors across
polls. They're going to have a centralized voting database. If every
state does what Florida has done, we'll have a much better
system of elections
in America.
CHO:
(VO) But experts say delays in financing electoral reform in Congress
may be the biggest problem and could cost the nation its chance
of overhauling the antiquated system before the next national election.
Liz Cho, ABC News, Chicago.
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MAY
20 2001
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DALLAS-FT.
WORTH, TX
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1.
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KXAS-NBC
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Run
Time: 0:30
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6:00AM
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NBC
5
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THE
ELECTION MAY BE LONG OVER, BUT THE OUTCOME STILL PROMOTES
ANGER. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE MARCHED IN THE U.S. CAPITOL
SATURDAY TO CALL FOR A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTION.
THE DEMONSTRATION WAS ORGANIZED BY A GROUP CALLED "VOTER
MARCH," WHICH IS THE SAME GROUP THAT PROTESTED
THE INAUGURATION OF GEORGE W. BUSH. VOTER
MARCH WANTS TO REFORM THE ELECTION PROCESS,
INCLUDING POSSIBLY DOING AWAY WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
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WASHINGTON,
DC-HAGERSTOWN, MD
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2.
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WRC-NBC
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6:30AM
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WRC
News
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WHAT
DO WE WANT? DEMOCRACY. WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NO. HUNDREDS OF
[**06:36:01 AM**] PEOPLE MARCHED TO THE U.S. CAPITOL
SATURDAY CALLING FOR A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTION.
THE GROUP IS CALLED "VOTER
MARCH." IT'S THE SAME GROUP WHICH RALLIED
THOUSANDS TO WASHINGTON FOR A PROTEST DURING THE
INAUGURATION. "VOTER
MARCH" WANTS ELECTION REFORM, INCLUDING
THE POSSIBILITY OF ELIMINATING THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
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NORFOLK-PORTSMOUTH-NEWPORT
NEWS
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3.
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WAVY-NBC
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Run
Time: 1:59
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6:00AM
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Morning
News
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THE
CONTROVERSIAL PRESIDENTIAL RACE STILL HAS SOME PEOPLE
ANGRY. HUNDREDS MARCHED TO THE U-S CAPITOL YESTERDAY TO
CALL FOR A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTION. THE GROUP, VOTER
MARCH, WANTS TO REFORM THE ELECTION PROCESS,
POSSIBLY DOING AWAY WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE THAT
ALLOWED BUSH TO WIN. AL GORE WON THE POPULAR VOTE.
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MAY
19 2001
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MOBILE-PENSACOLA-FT
WALTON BEACH, FL
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4.
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WPMI-NBC
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10:00PM
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News
NBC
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(VO) HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE MARCHED TO THE U-S CAPITOL TODAY TO
CALL FOR A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION. THE GROUP, VOTER
MARCH WANTS TO REFORM THE ELECTION
PROCESS...INCLUDING DOING AWAY WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE
THAT ALLOWED GEORGE W. BUSH TO CLAIM THE PRESIDENCY OVER
AL GORE...
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HUNTSVILLE-DECATUR-FLOR,
AL
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5.
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WAFF-NBC
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10:00PM
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News
NBC
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THE
ELECTION MAY BE LONG OVER, BUT THE OUTCOME IS -STILL-
PROVOKING ANGER. THAT STORY TOPS OUR LOOK NATIONVIEW
TONIGHT AT TEN... HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH A GROUP CALLED VOTER
MARCH... GATHERED AT THE U-S CAPITOL TODAY...
TO CALL FOR A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTION. THEY
WANT TO DO AWAY WITH THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE... GEORGE W.
BUSH ACTUALLY LOST THE POPULAR VOTE TO VICE PRESIDENT AL
GORE.
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NEWS ARTICLES:
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 Citizens
Wrongfully Kept from Voting - Group Continues to Push for Reform
and Investigation in Wake of Revelations, River
Cities Reader, June 13, 2001
M19
- A Report from the Voter Rights March, by William
Rivers Pitt, The Democratic Underground, May 22, 2001
Voters
Rally for Electoral Reform, CNN AllPolitics, May 19, 2001
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