As public servants and stewards of the democratic process, we must ensure that every vote is counted while also protecting voter intent.  In a time when voter apathy is driving people away from the polls, it is our responsibility to restore faith in the democratic process and provide voters with reason and confidence to cast a vote.

The problems surrounding the House District 59 election results have exposed a weakness in our state-of-the-art election system.  

The problem lies not in the equipment, but in an unclear definition of voter intent regarding write-in candidates.  Rhode Island law must be codified to clearly define voter intent -- not on an election-by-election basis, but through a consistent definition of ‘intent’ for every Rhode Island election from this day forward, whether it be for School Committee or Governor.

For the past two years, I have been working with my Republican and Democratic colleagues in Washington on historic election reform legislation.  We crafted this bill to ensure that every vote cast in our nation’s elections is indeed counted.  These efforts culminated two weeks ago when I joined President Bush at the White House as he signed that bill into law.

The “Help America Vote Act of 2002" has been called the first civil rights legislation of the 21st century and authorizes unprecedented federal assistance -- $3.8 billion over three years -- to help states improve and upgrade every aspect of their election systems.  

This funding will help replace outdated voting equipment, train poll workers, educate voters and upgrade equipment.  The legislation also requires states to make polling places accessible and to provide at least one accessible voting machine in each precinct that allows a disabled voter to cast a vote in a private and independent manner.  Also notable is that the measure requires every state to define what constitutes a legal vote.  Therefore, Rhode Island must clearly define voter intent, not only to prevent recurring problems in the future, but also to ensure that we qualify for election improvement funds from the federal government.
   
Our state recognized the need for a modernized voting system well before the fiasco that emerged from Florida in 2000.  Yet while we have made the Rhode Island election system one of the most effective in the nation, none is perfect.  The time is now to clearly define voter intent and ensure that every vote cast in the State of Rhode Island is counted.