The Help America Vote Act (Pub.L. 107-252), or HAVA, is a United States federal law which passed in the House 357-48 and 92-2 in the Senate and was signed into law by President Bush on October 29, 2002. Drafted (at least in part) in reaction to the controversy surrounding the 2000 U.S. presidential election, the goals of HAVA are:
- replace punchcard and lever-based voting systems;
- create the Election Assistance Commission to assist in the administration of Federal elections; and
- establish minimum election administration standards.
Almost two million ballots were disqualified in the 2000 election because they registered multiple votes or none when run through vote-counting machines.
HAVA mandates that all states and localities upgrade many aspects of their election procedures, including their voting machines, registration processes and poll worker training. The specifics of implementation have been left up to each state, which allows for varying interpretations of the Federal law.
Read more about Help America Vote Act: Criticisms
Famous quotes containing the words america, vote and/or act:
“... they think that Miss America belongs to them! That they can touch her and give her a kiss on the cheek—or even on the lips!”
—Ellie Ross, Travelling companion for Miss Americas. As quoted in Miss America, ch. 17, by Ann-Marie Bivans (1991)
“The customer is the immediate jewel of our souls. Him we flatter, him we feast, compliment, vote for, and will not contradict.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“For, truly speaking, whoever provokes me to a good act or thought has given me a pledge of his fidelity to virtue,—he has come under the bonds to adhere to that cause to which we are jointly attached.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)