12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 18, 2002 FRIDAY Focus IA d TH FurR o vry~ar~ H X Lessons learnmed from Flo-rida 20 WASHINGTON (AP) - Voters heading to the polls in 2004 will see new voting machines, provisional ballots and ID requirements under a bill Congress has sent to the White House. The Senate passed the bill 92-2 Wednesday, nearly a week after the House approved it in a 357-48 vote. President Bush issued a statement saying the legislation contained "important elec- tion'reforms" and promised to sign it. The measure would authorize spending about $3.8 billion over three years, although Congress must separately approve of spending that money. All sides say they are committed to that. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) the chair- man of the Senate Rules Committee, said the bill will "make the central premise of our democracy - that the people are sovereign - ring even more truly in the years to come." Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the com- mittee's top Republican, called the legislation "landmark." The measure is the result of months of negoti- ation to craft a federal solution to the balloting problems in Florida that plagued the 2000 presi- dential election. New York's two Democratic senators - Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton - were the only senators who voted against the bill. Both cited opposition to the bill's voter identification requirement, saying it overrides New York's system of allowing voters to simply attest to their signatures. With the congressional session winding down, lawmakers took up a flurry of measures, includ- ing legislation the Senate approved Wednesday that increases defense spending. The election overhaul provides money for states to replace punch-card and lever voting systems with upgraded machines. It requires provisional voting, which allows people who claim eligibility to vote even when their names do not appear on election rolls. Those ballots would be set aside; election officials would determine later whether they were valid. The bill also establishes statewide registration lists that would use a driver's license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number to identify each voter. Voters with neither num- ber would be assigned an identifying number by the state. States would have to ensure that at least one voting machine at each polling place is accessi- ble to the disabled. The bill includes identification requirements opposed by civil rights groups and many Democrats. Those provisions would require vot- ers who registered by mail to show identification the first time they vote. Photo IDs, utility bills or U.S. Rep. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), center, U.S. Senate candidate, talks with Mendel Stewart, left, after a dedication ceremony for the Ellison McKissick textile building yesterday at Tri-County Technical College in Pendleton, S.C. Looking on is Don Garrison, college president, second from left. -The House passed by voice vote and sent to the White House a bill directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish four health care centers around the country to specialize in emer- gency preparedness for terror attacks. The cen- ters would offer training for medical responders to attacks; develop systems for detecting and diagnosing biological, radiological and chemical agents; and treat victims of terrorism. The bill is H.R. 3253. - House Republicans temporarily shelved an investor tax relief measure that would have raised the tax deduction for investment losses and given people breaks to rebuild retirement plans devastated by the market downturn. Con- servatives had objected to provisions intended to stop U.S. companies from relocating to overseas tax havens. They contended those items amount- ed to a tax increase. : (AP) - Reubianicrunch WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans in Michigan's three key U.S. House races have far outraised their Democratic opponents, according to campaign finance reports that came three weeks before election day. In all three southeast Michigan races, the Republicans had at least twice the money to spend on the race as the Democrats, according to reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission for the period ending Sept. 30. - US. Rep. Joe Knol- lenberg (R-Bloomfield Hills) raised nearly $1.9 million and had $798,020 left after paying expens- es. Democratic attorney David Fink raised more than $1.1 million and had s $100,496 left to spend on his effort to replace the five-term congressman inr Oakland County's 9th District. - In the 10th District that covers part of Macomb County and much of Michigan's thumb, Republican Secretary of State Candice Miller raised nearly $1.5 million and had $711,446 left to spend. Democratic Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga raised $895,508 and had $221,699 in the bank. - Republican State Sen. Thad McCotter raised $775,960 and had $395,256 to spend in the 11th District that includes western Wayne and Oakland counties. His Democratic opponent, Redford Township Super- visor Kevin Kelley, raised $332,545 and had $171,767 left after expens- es. Republican officials say McCotter also raised about $400,000 at Mon- day's fund-raiser featuring President Bush, which is not included in the total. And U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton will appear at a luncheon tomorrow that the Kelley campaign hopes will boost his account. "IT REALLY IS NO BIG SECRET THAT THE REPUBLICAN S ARE BETTER FUNDED. WE JUST HAVE TO SPEND WISER AND BE MORE BUDGET CONSCIOUS. - JENNIFER DOEREN SPOKESWOMAN Republicans say the monetary advantage and a comfortable lead in polls taken last month make them optimistic they will win a majority of seats in the congressional delegation for the first time in 30 years. "It seems unlikely that the Democrats are going to make headway in any of those races," said Michigan Republican Party spokesman Jason Brewer. The Fink and Kelley campaigns say even though they are behind in total fund-raising and money in the bank, they are gaining momentum. Both campaigns raised more in the third quarter than the Republican can- didates - Fink had $327,523 to Knollenberg's $251,337, while Kelly got $241,307 to McCotter's $157,259. "These numbers show that Knollenberg's campaign is running out of steam while David is attracting new support every day," said Fink spokesman Sean Carr. Marlinga spokeswoman Jennifer Doeren said Miller's monetary advantage just means his campaign staff will have to work harder con- necting with individual voters instead of campaigning with television commercials. "It's really no big secret that the Republicans are better funded," she said. "We just have to spend wiser and be more budget conscious." NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - President Bush sought yesterday to bolster his brother in a surprisingly tough guberna- torial campaign in Florida, a state critical to his own re-election hopes. He also tried to help a Republican Senate candidate make terrorism a political issue in Georgia. Bush stepped off Air Force One and into the embrace of his younger brother, the Florida governor, who is in a close race with Democratic challenger Bill McBride. Education is a key issue in the race, thus Bush spoke at a nearby elementary school to promote his administration's agenda. "The passion and vision I just described is shared by your governor," the president told students and teachers at Read-Patillo Ele- mentary School before headlining a $1 mil- lion GOP fund-raiser. "I know him well. I know his heart. I know his strength of conviction, and I know his visions," he added. A McBride victory could hurt the presi- dent's re-election prospects because a Demo- cratic governor would be an enormous asset to whoever is nominated to challenge Bush. Republicans are already expected to lose several governor's seats Nov. 5, many in vote-rich states. Jeb Bush, once thought by his family to be the presidential heir apparent, appeared to be coasting to re-election but McBride has erased his once-formidable lead in the polls. The governor told the school crowd, "We are so proud of the president's leadership in the fight against evildoers." Terrorism was the theme in Georgia, the president's first stop, as Bush raised $900,000 for Republican gubernatorial can- didate Sonny Perdue and Senate candidate Saxby Chambliss. Chambliss is accusing Democratic Sen. Max Cleland of thwarting a Bush-backed bill to create a Homeland Defense Depart- ment, a charge the president seconded yes- terday. "There's no question in my mind if Saxby Chambliss were in the Senate, I would not Chambliss of "exploitation of a national tragedy." A triple amputee Vietnam War veteran, Cleland backed creation of the department before the president did and voted for Democratic-drafted legislation to establish the new agency when it cleared a Senate committee this year. But he was on the opposite side of Bush on several amendment votes in committee as well as on the Senate floor, where the legis- lation is stalled. Most of the amendments related to civil service rules and labor protections for employees of the new department, the dis- agreement that has blocked passage of the measure. A thunder of applause filled the Atlanta hotel room as Bush shook his fist and pledged to defeat terrorists. Lowering his voice to a whisper, the presi- dent then accused Senate Democrats of imposing too many restrictions on the pro- posed department. "The Senate leadership wants to roll back that (presidential) authority in a time of war Ak;I Am]