The 2000 election put all of us on warning: Flaws in our elections open the door to partisan manipulation of election results, disenfranchisement of large portions of the population, and uncertain results—all of which undermine faith in our democracy.

In July, the U.S. Senate Rules Committee held a hearing on the CALPIRG-backed Ballot Integrity Act of 2007. The bill contains several key provisions that protect voters and their votes, clarify the rules, and establish even-handed procedures to ensure elections are administered fairly.

Among the reforms that the Ballot Integrity Act would institute: equitable distribution of voting machines, standards for using and counting provisional ballots, standards for purging voters from the rolls, and funding for Election Day poll workers.

Government Accountability

In October, CALPIRG released a new report documenting that companies with immediate histories of shoddy work and fraudulent practices still receive billions of dollars in federal contracts. The report, “Forgiving Fraud and Failure: Profiles in Federal Contracting,” highlights nine representative examples of new, often no-bid contracts granted to companies with records of poor performance.  

For example, the Army, Navy and Air Force purchased equipment from contractors that had previously delivered faulty or untested equipment, and the IRS purchased data management and security from companies that recently experienced serious data breaches.

CALPIRG is urging federal agencies to increase disclosure of contract information, increase competition, and strengthen the rules to screen bad actors.

Public Transportation

Los Angeles remains the number one most congested region in the country, according to the latest Urban Mobility Report by the Texas Transportation Institute, released last fall.

The average Los Angeles commuter spends an additional 72 hours a year stuck behind the wheel in gridlock. The Bay Area ranked second in the nation, and San Diego ranked sixth for worst traffic congestion.

The report determined that just to maintain existing levels of traffic congestion, Los Angeles needs to attract 126 million new transit riders or carpoolers every year.

“Each full bus can get 50 cars off the road,” commented CALPIRG’s Emily Rusch to the media. “Drivers across California should be calling for more and better public transportation, even if they never use it.”