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One hundred ten years f toieedom
Monday
June 11, 2001
Ford chairs commission on election reform
Louie Meozlsh
Iy News Editor
Poorly engineered. Inefficient. Corrupt.
These are some of the words used to describe voting
systems in the United States. The National Commis-
sion on Federal Election Reform, created in the wake
of the contested presidential election results in Florida,
met Tuesday at the Gerald R. Ford Library on North
Campus to hear and later recommend proposals for
repairing the allegedly broken system of elections.
Ford and fellow former President Jimmy Carter are
onorary co-chairmen of the commission. Although
rter was unable to attend, Ford presided over the
meeting.
First to testify was U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.),
who proclaimed, "election reform is alive and well in
the 107th Congress."
Hoyer, the ranking member on the Committee on
House Adminstration, the panel that oversees election
law s in the House of Representatives, went on to
describe a bill he is crafting with committee chairman
Bob Ney (R-Ohio).
; Hoyer advocated a plan of matching grants from the
fvder._l government to supplement those that states pro-
ide to improve their voting systems.
In a letter sent to the commission and read ott 1 iud
during the hearing, Ney said punch-card voting sys-
ems need to be replaced.
This will cost money and ithe federal government
should help," he said.
Hoyer said another proposal worth examining is hav-
ing college and high school students work as poll
workers during elections. When asked by commission
member and former Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (D-Minn.)
whether he supported giving government - federal,
state, and local - employees paid time-off to work as
poll workers, Hoyer said he does.
One of the main points of debate was whether the
federal government should establish a national stan-
dard, order states to set up a uniform standard within
their jurisdictions or whether to set a recommendation
of standards for states to follow.
Scott Thomas, a member of the Federal Election
Commission and three-time chairman of the FEC, said
he supported the idea that there has to be some nation-
al standard for voting systems.
"There are some underlying factors ... that the feder-
al government has to identify some standards that have
to appear across the board in every county in every
state," he said.
During the second panel, R. Doug Lewis, executive
director of Texas-based The Election Center, warned
that the government and public should not overreact to
the contested presidential election in Florida.
Lesis said the Florida Legislature, in the process of
poeging convicted felons from the voting rolls, hastily
psrged many Florida voters who are not felons. This.
he said, is an example of how overreaction can make a
problenm worse. ALEX HWsERT D
During Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Former President Gerald Ford speaks as former Whilte House Counsel Lloyd Cutler
See COMMISSION, Page 8 looks on during the National Commission on Federal Election Reform's hearing.
Student dies Top doctor si
tp
after crashing about future
car ito teea__________
By MarIa Sprow
. Daily News Editor
By Elizabeth Kassab
i)y Ns Editor Surgeon General David Satcher, the nation's
top doctor, visited Hill Auditorium to congrat-
19-year-old University student died early Friday ulate and encourage the University's 151st
nornaing after his 2001 Oldsmobile Alero collided with class of surgeons and physicians, who received
a tree on Napier Road north of Ford Road. their degrees during a ceremony Friday.
Justin Holderer, an engineering student who had "Many of you have worked very hard to be
just completed his first year at the University, was here today - you took the road less traveled,"
driving about 80 miles per hour around 3 a.m Satcher said. "It's a great day (for you) ... it's a
when the accident occurred, Washtenaw County great day for the nation."
Sherriff's Department Cmdr. Anderson Brown Jr Satcher, the first black male surgeon general
said, citing preliminary police estimates. No other in history, spoke about health developments of
vehicles were involved. the last century but said there is much to be
Holderer and 19-year-old Canton resident Jason improved upon and encouraged the graduates
Rambo, the only passenger in the car, were pronounced to contribute to the future.
d at the scene. Both were wearing seat belts. "The American dream does not end when it
Where is a possibility that alcohol was a factor in comes true for you. It then becomes your
the crash. Brown said. Police are awaiting toxicology responsibility to make sure it comes true for
reports, which could be available in the next two sty others," he said.
weeks, and are continuing to investigate the crash. LSA junior Amber Simco walks through the Satcher noted the life expectancy is 30 years
Brown said itsis unknown where the two were Diag with her two-year old daughter, Hanna. longer than it was one hundred years ago and
h-adcd or where they were coming from. _ _ _ _ _ _ _._ cited numerous other landmarks in the medical
)eaks to grads
)f profession
field which were reached within the last centu-
ry - an improvement of the control of infec-
tious diseases, a decrease in cancer mortality,
the recognition of the dangers of smoking and
the completion of the human genome project.
Despite all the advances, Satcher cautioned
the next century isn't going to be easy for the
next generation of doctors.
"Let me assure you, there is much to do," he
said.
He mentioned future challenges, including
maintaining the quality of life for the ederly,
seeking aggressive treatments for disabilities
and pain and suffering, making health care
more affordable and attainable, and creating a
vaccine for AIDS.
Satcher also cited obesity as a problem that
has doubled among American children in the
last century.
"There are tremendous challenges," he said,
adding,"The challenge of really caring about
the patient still faces us."
Satcher was preceded by University Executive
See SATCHER, Page 7
NEWS
niversity students' design for a terrain
vehicle could be used for future
exploration of Mars.
Page 3
SPORTS
T#US EARNS HIS STRIPES
After going undrafted, Michigan second
baseman Scott Tousa signed a free-agent
contract with Detroit Tigers. L