But there were electoral problems, Kerry says. He specifically mentioned people who say their votes weren't counted; people who say they were "denied" at the polls; and people who were "forced to voted on old, unaccountable and non-transparent voting machines from companies controlled by partisan activists."

Kerry reiterated his commitment to addressing problems that cropped up in Ohio. "We must act today to make sure they never happen again," Kerry said, and he urged his supporters to join him in demanding that Congress commit itself this year to reforming the electoral system.

There are different standards in different states for casting and counting votes, Kerry said. "We need a national federal standard to solve the problems that occurred in the 2004 election. I will propose legislation to help achieve this," he said.

He accused Republicans of ignored the "wake-up call" posed by Florida in 2000. "Will they now ignore what happened in 2004?" he asked.

Kerry urged the nearly 3 million people receiving his email to demand that congressional leaders hold full hearings on voting problems in 2004. "Make sure they hear from you and help hold them accountable," he said. His message listed contact information for Republican leaders of the House and Senate.

"We must make sure there are no questions or doubts in future elections," Kerry said. "It's critical to our democracy that we investigate and act to prevent voting irregularities and voter intimidation across the country.

"We can't stand still as Congressional leaders seek to sweep well-founded voter concerns under the rug."

Kerry also commended the Democratic National Committee for its intention to conduct a long-term study of Ohio voting "irregularities."

In October 2002, President Bush signed the bipartisan Help America Vote Act, which stemmed directly from voting problems in Florida in 2000.

The legislation provides millions of taxpayer dollars to the states over a three-year period to replace outdated voting machines, improve voter education and train poll workers.

The law also said first-time voters who register by mail must provide identification when they show up at the polls; and it said states must provide provisional ballots to voters whose names do not appear on voter rolls. Those ballots are counted once valid registration is verified.

Critics of the Help America Vote Act called it inadequate because it didn't force states to adopt federal voting standards.

Critics of the Help America Vote Act called it inadequate because it didn't force states to adopt federal voting standards. That's what Kerry's bill would do: "We need a national federal standard to solve the problems that occurred in the 2004 election," he told supporters.

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