House Administration Chairman Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) renewed their call for full funding of election reform this week.

In a letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and other House leaders, Ney and Hoyer asked that $1.86 billion in election reform funding be included in supplemental spending measures to help states “get into compliance on the schedule required by the bill.” [IMGCAP(1)]

The Help America Vote Act, which was signed by President Bush last October, authorized $3.86 billion in spending in fiscal years 2003 through 2005 to help state and local governments improve their voting systems and voter registration processes.

But so far only $1.5 billion has been appropriated for fiscal 2003; $500 million was contained in a recent appropriations bill for fiscal 2004.

— Amy Keller