In her latest Political Points commentary, CBS News Senior Political Editor Dotty Lynch wonders what's happened to electoral reform, once the hot-button issue in Washington. With the California energy woes, skyrocketing gasoline prices and the McVeigh snafu dominating the headlines, the momentum for electoral reform has slowed.
Electoral reform is expensive.
Over 1,600 bills have been introduced in state legislatures, but most just establish task forces, study groups and interim commissions. So far only Florida, Georgia and Maryland have passed legislation to make major improvements in their voting systems. Other states admit they have problems with their election systems but don't have the money to fix them. On Thursday, the Committee on House Administration announced it would produce a bipartisan bill that would eliminate punch-card voting and recognize that the federal government has a role to play in financing and supporting reforms. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., has been traveling around the country beating the drum for electoral reform.