LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JULY 24, 2008 Serial No. 110–199 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:47 Jul 16, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 6011 H:\WORK\CONST\072408\43683.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:47 Jul 16, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 H:\WORK\CONST\072408\43683.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JULY 24, 2008 Serial No. 110–199 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 43–683 PDF WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:47 Jul 16, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 H:\WORK\CONST\072408\43683.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan, Chairman HOWARD L. BERMAN, California LAMAR SMITH, Texas RICK BOUCHER, Virginia F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., JERROLD NADLER, New York Wisconsin ROBERT C. ‘‘BOBBY’’ SCOTT, Virginia HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina ELTON GALLEGLY, California ZOE LOFGREN, California BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas STEVE CHABOT, Ohio MAXINE WATERS, California DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts CHRIS CANNON, Utah ROBERT WEXLER, Florida RIC KELLER, Florida LINDA T. SA´ NCHEZ, California DARRELL ISSA, California STEVE COHEN, Tennessee MIKE PENCE, Indiana HANK JOHNSON, Georgia J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia BETTY SUTTON, Ohio STEVE KING, Iowa LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois TOM FEENEY, Florida BRAD SHERMAN, California TRENT FRANKS, Arizona TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York JIM JORDAN, Ohio ADAM B. SCHIFF, California ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota PERRY APELBAUM, Staff Director and Chief Counsel SEAN MCLAUGHLIN, Minority Chief of Staff and General Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES JERROLD NADLER, New York, Chairman ARTUR DAVIS, Alabama TRENT FRANKS, Arizona DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida MIKE PENCE, Indiana KEITH ELLISON, Minnesota DARRELL ISSA, California JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan STEVE KING, Iowa ROBERT C. ‘‘BOBBY’’ SCOTT, Virginia JIM JORDAN, Ohio MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina STEVE COHEN, Tennessee DAVID LACHMANN, Chief of Staff PAUL B. TAYLOR, Minority Counsel (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:47 Jul 16, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 0486 H:\WORK\CONST\072408\43683.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA C O N T E N T S JULY 24, 2008 Page OPENING STATEMENTS The Honorable Jerrold Nadler, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York, and Chairman, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties .................................................................................. 1 The Honorable Trent Franks, a Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties .................................................................................. 2 The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, and Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties ............. 4 WITNESSES Mr. J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow, The Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 6 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 8 Mr. Daniel P. Tokaji, Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director, Election Law, The Ohio State University, Michael E. Moritz College of Law Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 58 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 60 Cleta Mitchell, Esq., Partner, Foley & Lardner, LLP Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 67 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 133 Ms. Gilda R. Daniels, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 165 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 167 Mr. Hans A. von Spakovsky, Visiting Scholar, The Heritage Foundation Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 172 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 174 Mr. J. Gerald Hebert, Executive Director and Director of Litigation, The Campaign Legal Center Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 189 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 191 APPENDIX Material Submitted for the Hearing Record .......................................................... 235 (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:47 Jul 16, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\WORK\CONST\072408\43683.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:47 Jul 16, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\WORK\CONST\072408\43683.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND CIVIL LIBERTIES, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 1:26 p.m., in room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable Jerrold Nad- ler (Chairman of the Subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Nadler, Davis, Wasserman Schultz, Ellison, Conyers, Scott, Watt, Franks, and Jordan. Staff Present: David Lachmann, Subcommittee Chief of Staff; LaShawn Warren, Majority Counsel; Caroline Mays, Majority Pro- fessional Staff Member; and Paul Taylor, Minority Counsel. Mr. NADLER. This hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitu- tion, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess of the hearing. We will now proceed to Members’ opening statements. As has been the practice in the Subcommittee, I will recognize the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Subcommittee and of the full Committees to make opening statements. In the interest of pro- ceeding to our witnesses and mindful of our busy schedules, I would ask that other Members submit their statements for the record. Without objection, all Members will have 5 legislative days to submit opening statements for inclusion in the record. The Chair now recognizes myself for 5 minutes for an opening statement. Today’s hearing looks at the way in which the Nation admin- isters its elections, the way we go about ensuring the integrity of our elections, and the means we use to ensure that the right of all eligible voters to cast their votes, and have those votes counted in an environment that is free from intimidation, is protected. Unfortunately, we have not always done a very good job admin- istering our elections in a manner that we expect of other nations. If the result was solely disenfranchisement of large numbers of people, that would be bad enough. Unfortunately, we have now seen in the past two Presidential elections that the public no longer has confidence that our elections are truly fair and that the results are accurately reflected in the final vote tally. The former is a vio- lation of our values, our laws, and our Constitution. The latter (1) VerDate Aug 31 2005 10:47 Jul 16, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\CONST\072408\43683.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA 2 threatens the very foundation of our Democracy. If the public can- not be assured that our elections are free and fair, the results rightly or not, will always be suspect. The outcome, especially in a close election, could lose its legitimacy. That would be cata- strophic, not just for the individuals whose right to vote was lost or impaired but for the entire Nation. Today this Subcommittee looks at some of the problems we have encountered in past elections, and we will explore possible solu- tions to those problems. It is unfortunate that the Federal agency charged with the administration of our election laws, especially the Voting Rights Act, which this Committee crafted and just