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AL: There is no more urgent task in a democratic country than assuring that every voter has an opportunity to vote and that all votes are fully and fairly counted in the election. Sadly, the American people still lack confidence that we have achieved these goals in the world’s oldest ongoing democracy. I propose the following 10-point plan for federal initiatives to assist the states in ensuring fair elections and advancing voter turnout:

1. 1. We must reauthorize and fully enforce the Voting Rights Act (up for renewal in 2007), which protects the rights of many millions of minority Americans, including two million in Maryland.


2. 2. All electronic voting systems must be fully accessible to people with disabilities and have a verifiable paper trail.


3. 3. Independent audits, fully accessible to all political parties on the ballot, must establish the security of all voting systems.


4. 4. There should be uniform standards for provisional ballots to assure that everyone on the registration rolls has an opportunity to vote.


5. 5. Partisan officials, such as the secretary of state in Ohio, should be barred from running elections.


6. 6. We should avoid systems like national ID cards that would depress voting among minority groups and less affluent Americans. The real potential for fraud exists among those who control voting technology, not ineligible voters trying to sneak into the polls.


7. 7. The Help America Vote Act should be fully implemented and funded.


8. 8. To assure the rights of people moving and to prevent voting in more than one state, voter lists should be comparable between states. Such lists, however, must not unfairly purge minorities and the poor.


9. 9. States should restore voting rights to convicted felons who have fulfilled all their obligations to society.


10. 10. Polling places should be user-friendly and fairly allocated geographically, so that voters do not have to endure interminable waiting time.

ePMedia: You have made Maryland your home for three decades. What does the state mean to you personally, and what in your background as a resident of the state makes you feel you can represent it well in the Senate?

AL: I moved to Maryland as soon as I could afford the housing prices, which 30 years ago were about 10 percent of what they are today. I love this state for its diversity, its beauty, and its openness to humane, liberal principles. I live in a quiet middle-class neighborhood in Montgomery County, in the Washington suburbs, which is far more diverse than most people would imagine. A majority of students in our public schools — which my son Sam attends — are now African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American or members of other minority groups. The 20 students who attended my announcement at Sam’s middle school fully reflected this diversity. Next door is Prince George’s County, a center of African-American life in the United States. Maryland’s natural beauty ranges from our magnificent Chesapeake Bay — which badly needs help from new leadership in Washington — to the mountains of western Maryland. In the small town of Flintstone in western Maryland, I worked with local craftsmen to restore a log cabin more than 150 years old on a dirt road that was once one of the nation’s major northwest highways. This part of the state is filled with wonderful, hard-working people — my friends — and with landmarks of our state’s and our nation’s history.

For 15 years I have written a column on Maryland politics, which I have tried to make into an alternative to the “horse-race” approach to politics. Check out my newspaper debate on issues with Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert Ehrlich in 2002 (March 28 and April 11). Until Ehrlich’s election Maryland was in many ways a model for the nation, enacting enlightened laws on civil rights and liberties, reproductive freedom, education and housing, and programs to discourage teenage pregnancy. I would hope that my love of the state, my dedication to the principles for which Maryland has stood, my participation in the debates and political struggles that have shaped its politics, my engagement with Republicans on the issues, and my strong stands for its working- and middle-class residents would enable me to represent Maryland effectively in the U.S. Senate.  

ePMedia: Finally, are there issues we haven’t covered here that you would like to comment on?

AL: When Paul Wellstone announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in 1990, critics said he had no chance. He wasn’t a professional politician. He didn’t have access to great wealth. Yet Wellstone won with qualities that the cynics couldn’t understand and I hope to live up to in this election and that voters will ultimately judge for themselves: ideas, backbone, honesty and determination. To demonstrate our commitment to winning this election, my wife and I have mortgaged our home and begun the campaign with $250,000 in the bank. My wife is an accomplished political professional who led the campaign to codify Roe v. Wade in Maryland as head of the state affiliate of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). We intend to raise funds vigorously and build a grassroots campaign all over the state of Maryland. Again, please visit our Web site.

ePMedia: Thank you, Allan Lichtman, for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope we will be able to talk with you again.

ePluribus Media contributors, editors and fact checkers: JeninRI, Sue in KY, Standingup and Vivian
Photo Credits: American University

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