Consider it a vote of confidence

Give it up. The election is over. We're all concerned about the accuracy of elections and the veracity of the new electronic voting machines, but apparently some folks are letting their concern cloud their judgment.

A month after the election, they are still trying to scrounge enough votes to put the result in question. It isn't. George W. Bush was re-elected and will be inaugurated to a second term.

Nevada got much attention as a battleground state and the polls said the race would be close. But it turned out to be solidly in favor of Bush. One county voted for Kerry, although it was Clark County, by far the largest.

There's nothing wrong with following through to investigate any irregularities in the count. After all, Elko County did recently discover 271 votes. But the goal should be to perfect the system and improve the process for the next election. It's not to change the outcome.

The secretary of state's Elections Office and county clerks statewide take that responsibility as part of their jobs. They are not all of the same political party, and there is absolutely no evidence of any conspiracy to cheat on the results, despite the protestations of a Reno Democrat who filed a lawsuit last week.

What evidence exists points to flaws and, perhaps, deceit in the registration of voters. Secretary of State Dean Heller and some lawmakers have already proposed reforms, such as same-day registration, that should help preclude abuses.

Any time allegations of fraud crop up in regard to an election worldwide, such as the recent vote in the Ukraine, some naysayer will try to compare it with problems in U.S. elections.

But there can be no comparison. The United States sets the standard for fair, accurate elections. And in 2004, Nevada set the standard - with its electronic vote/paper verification machines - for the country.

Consider it a vote of confidence.