Election reforms loom on horizon

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT-MESA -- It’s over. At last.

But the effects of the disputed presidential election, which ended

Wednesday when Vice President Al Gore conceded to Texas Gov. George W.

Bush, are far from finished.

The protracted election in Florida -- consisting of hanging chads,

under votes and interpretations of voter intent -- also has paved the way

for election reform in the months ahead, Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport

Beach) said Wednesday.

“In essence, this was the day after the election,” Cox said. “The

emotional acceptance of the election results has been retarded by more

than a month.”

As a result of the Florida ballot nightmare, Cox said, he will

schedule a series of congressional hearings in January to determine

whether voting reforms could be instituted nationwide.

The notorious, historic election that went all the way to the U.S.

Supreme Court brought wrinkles in the voting process into millions of

American homes, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) said.

“The positive end is that the American people got a good civics

lesson,” Rohrabacher said.

But not everybody is seeing positive results from the protracted

battle. Newport Beach’s Lane Sherman -- who is one of California’s

Democratic presidential electors -- said she was deeply disappointed with

the court’s 5-4 ruling.

“I’m sorry it turned out the way it did,” Sherman said of the court’s

decision. “I think they’ve made a big mistake, but we’re governed by

them.”

In addition to potential federal reforms to voting, Orange County

residents may see changes made closer to home before another round of

votes are cast.

On Tuesday, county supervisors unanimously formed a committee to

review voting practices in the November and March elections.

The board probably will consider electronic “touch tone” voting and

other measures to prevent future glitches, said a spokesman for 3rd

District Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who proposed the review.

A review of the November contest revealed several breakdowns in the

way the county’s Registration and Elections Department handled the

election, county documents show.

A Dec. 7 report criticized the department’s “emphasis on curbing

costs” and its inability to remain current with technological advances.

Election issues aside, Cox and Rohrabacher were also preparing for the

107th Congress, set to begin next month.

With a 50-50 split in the U.S. Senate and a 221-212 Republican edge in

the House of Representatives, legislators are likely to be gridlocked on

major issues, said Mark Petracca, chairman of UC Irvine’s Political

Science Department.

“It’s going to slow down the process,” Petracca said. “And it’s going

to turn every piece of legislation into milquetoast.”