Kerry says citizens need to pressure lawmakers for voting reforms

By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press Writer  |  April 10, 2005

BOSTON Voters are frequently denied access to the polls through trickery and intimidation, U.S. Sen. John Kerry told a crowd of more than 100 in Boston on Sunday.
The former Democratic presidential nominee, who is using crutches as he recovers from knee surgery, said too many voters who tried to cast ballots in last November's presidential election were rebuffed.

"Last year, too many people were denied their right to vote. ...too many people who tried to vote were intimidated," the Massachusetts Democrat said. "There is no magic wand. No one person is going to stand up and suddenly say it's going to change tomorrow. You have to do that."

Kerry, who returned to the Senate after he lost the election to President Bush, cited examples of how people have been duped into not voting.

"Leaflets are handed out saying Democrats vote on Wednesday, Republicans vote on Tuesday. People are told in telephone calls that if you've ever had a parking ticket, you're not allowed to vote," he said.

Kerry's supporters have said voting irregularities in a largely Democratic areas made it harder for voters to cast ballots.

Voting irregularities in Ohio drove primarily Democratic challenges to the Nov. 2 election. The Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit that cited Election Day problems including long lines, and a shortage of voting machines in predominantly minority neighborhoods.

Earlier this year, Kerry joined Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in filing voting reform legislation. Their Count Every Vote Act would create a federal holiday for voting, require paper receipts for votes and authorize $500 million to help states upgrade voting systems and equipment.

Kerry also suggested the United States should spend as much time promoting democracy at home as it does abroad in countries like Iraq.

"We need to go about the business of making our own democracy in America work better," he said.

Kerry made the comments at a Faneuil Hall event sponsored by the Massachusetts League of Women Voters.

It's not the first time Kerry has made similar charges.

At Boston's annual Martin Luther King Day Breakfast in January, Kerry said it took people in Democratic areas "four, five, eleven hours to vote, while Republicans (went) through in 10 minutes."

State Rep. Alice Peisch, a Democrat and former Wellesley town clerk, said she has no reason to suspect voting irregularities cost Kerry the election.

"I would find it hard to believe that, with all the attorneys the Democrats placed all over the country," she said. "The Democrats had enough resources to challenge if they thought a challenge would change the results."

The event's organizers had said Kerry would reflect on the lessons he learned during his presidential run. At the outset off his speech, however, Kerry made it clear he wouldn't talk about campaign politics.