WASHINGTON -- November 17 -- Common Cause is supporting a request by the presidential candidates of the Green and Libertarian parties to hold a recount of all votes cast in Ohio. While we don't expect or intend for the recount to change the outcome of the presidential election, we believe it is important that every citizen's vote be counted.

So on Monday, Common Cause teamed with the National Voting Rights Institute, Demos, People for the American Way Foundation and the Fannie Lou Hamer Project to support the Ohio recount request by David Cobb (Green) and Michael Badarik (Libertarian).

The coalition also urged election officials in every state to preserve, protect, and maintain all ballots from the election, whether cast on machine, by absentee, or by provisional ballot. The groups asked election officials to maintain all voter registration files, including all applications accepted and rejected, all records of resource allocation among precincts during the election, and all internal guidelines for evaluating all types of ballots.

An Ohio recount and a full examination of ballots and registrations in that state are necessary first steps to ensure an accurate count. Such efforts will also help all Americans better understand what is working and what is not working in our elections system. With that information, we can pursue reforms that will ensure that the next election is less likely to face doubts.

Every voter throughout the country needs to know that every effort has been made to count his or her vote, and this nation needs to understand exactly what procedural issues have been raised by the vote this year. A recount of all votes cast and an examination of all procedures used in Ohio will allow the nation to produce a full and detailed accounting of the election in that state, and will help lead the way for needed reforms to safeguard our elections in the future. While such efforts will not address all of the irregularities and potential voting rights violations which occurred in Ohio and elsewhere on Election Day, it will give us a full understanding of what else needs to be done so that we will have an election system of which this nation can be truly proud. Continuing to improve our election procedures will aid the work of restoring the people's trust in our democratic process. Without such trust, our democracy is in crisis.

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