WASHINGTON – President Bush signed an election-reform law yesterday that aims to avoid a repeat of the 2000 Florida fiasco.
In a signing ceremony at the White House, Bush never mentioned the disputed Florida vote that ultimately delivered him the presidency in 2000.
“Every registered voter deserves to have confidence that the system is fair and elections are honest, that every vote is recorded and that the rules are consistently applied,” Bush said.
“The legislation I sign today will add to the nation’s confidence.”
The bill gives states $3.9 billion to improve equipment, voter education and poll-worker training.
The new law says by 2004 all new registering voters will be required to provide driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers or specially assigned voter ID numbers at the polls.
Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton of New York – the only senators to vote against the bill – say they opposed it because the ID rules could depress turnout among New York immigrants.
The law requires states to have voter databases to ease registration and help detect fraud.
The Florida fiasco stemmed from confusion over the “butterfly” ballot design and disputed cards that were not completely punched through.