GEORGETOWN PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE GPPI Releases Election Study By Alex Finerman Hoya Staff Writer

The Constitution Project, a program based at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, recently released a fact sheet to survey the progress of election reform since the fiasco of last year’s presidential elections.

“The Constitutional Project concentrates to establish bipartisan consensus on controversial constitutional and legal issues,” said Zoe Hudson, director of the Election Reform Initiative. “In the wake of the November 2000 elections, taking on election reform seemed like a natural for us.”

The Election Reform Initiative was launched in February 2001 with over 60 Organizations for the Forum on Election Reform convening. The Forum was unique in the fact that, unlike The National Commission on Federal Election Reform chaired by former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, it brought together election officials and civil rights groups.

The fruits of the forum’s efforts were first realized in August 2001, Hudson said, when it released reports entitled: “Building Consensus on Election Reform” and “Recommendations for Congressional Action.”

Hudson said the reports were “well received,” though there has been a disappointing lack of results.

According to the fact sheet, “never before has the American electoral process come under such scrutiny . the bad news is that we have yet to make much needed reforms either at the federal or state level.

The fact sheet reports that 54 election reform bills were introduced to Congress and 15 hearings were