Secretary of State Dan A. Gwadosky will speak to the Coastal Rotary Club on Wednesday, May 2, 2001 at the China Rose Restaurant located on 42 Bath Road in Brunswick. Secretary Gwadosky’s presentation--Election Reform - A Local and National Perspective--will provide both a national and local discussion on the topic of election reform.  His presentation will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m.

The November 2000 election provided our country with an opportunity to discuss many issues surrounding our electoral process and underlined the importance of civic participation.   Election reform is a topic currently receiving much national attention with over 30 different bills being considered by Congress.   While the State of Maine generally leads the nation in ballot access and in voter turnout, there are also several bills before the Maine Legislature that attempt to improve our current process.

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) has long advocated for improvements to the electoral process.  NASS recently adopted a 12-point bi-partisan election reform resolution that addresses many issues that arose during the 2000-election cycle.  The resolution provides general guidelines and goals that each state and its election officials should pursue to ensure fair and accurate elections. The resolution was the result of efforts by the National Election Standards Task Force appointed by NASS.  Secretary Gwadosky is a member of the NASS Executive Committee and serves as treasurer of the organization.