July 26, 2004

Keeping with the spirit of the non-partisan relationship Laredo has enjoyed throughout the years with the current administration, President George W. Bush announced July 14 that he will appoint Laredo Mayor Betty Flores to the Board of Trustees for the Help America Vote Foundation.

"The strength of the people is in their vote and it is truly an honor to be able to serve the country as a part of this great cause," stated Flores. "This Foundation works towards educating on the election process and making it familiar for secondary school children by involving them as election volunteers and poll workers. Too many people neglect their voter registration card and the basic right that it represents. I hope to be able to bring about a heightened awareness on this issue and instill the value of the individual vote in our future voters."

Flores has served in several appointed capacity's throughout her long civic service career, through various state appointed positions and nationally as a member of the Federal Reserve Board's Consumer Advisory Council and Fannie Mae's Housing Impact Advisory Council. This new appointment is for a term of four years. She is only one of four individual appointments by the President from throughout the country to this board.

The Help America Vote Foundation was created by federal legislation, H.R. 3295- Help America Vote Act 2002, signed by President Bush on October 29, 2002. The President expressed several sentiments that day, this is just one of those thoughts, "The vitality of America's democracy depends on the fairness and accuracy of America's elections. Over two centuries our country has broadened the right to vote and sealed that right in law, making our government more accountable to the people and more representative of the people."

The bill sets forth resources for elections administrators at both the state and local level to standardize the voting process. It also enables the Help America Vote Foundation that has several main objectives:

1) mobilize secondary school students in the U.S. to participate in the election process in a nonpartisan manner as poll workers or assistants;

2) place secondary school students as nonpartisan poll workers or assistants to local election officials in precinct polling places across the U.S.; and

3) establish cooperative efforts with State and local election officials, local educational agencies, superintendents and principals of public and private secondary schools, and other appropriate nonprofit charitable and educational organizations . . . to further the purposes of the foundation.