We all learned an unforgettable lesson on Nov. 7, 2000, when for months the nation didn't know who had in fact won the presidential race.

After several months of ballot recounts, political debates, accusations, lawsuits and judicial opinions, George W. Bush was declared the winner and Al Gore finally conceded defeat. It was a narrow margin of votes that gave President Bush the U.S. presidency.

Our lesson was followed by disbelief. We were introduced to all kinds of technicalities related to the ballots, the voting process and the so-called "chads." The questions were often funny. "What is an electoral college?" What is a butterfly ballot?" "What is a pregnant, dimpled or hanging chad?" We learned about the U.S. Constitution. We saw the state of Florida suffer while ballots were scrutinized and interpreted to corroborate what initial results revealed.

After the election drama we witnessed, apathetic voters were moved into action. They resolved to become involved and cast their ballot. The non-apathetic voters went out en masse to register as many people as possible so narrow voting margins never become a problem again. The lesson learned—one vote makes a difference.

There's a saying that goes, "from the bad comes the good," or something to that effect. And it's true. The electoral trauma suffered by our country improved the voting process. Issues unheard of in the United States electoral process—such as voter intimidation, inappropriate ballot handling and voter harassment—were brought to light.

Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Jesse Durazo must be commended for taking the initiative to improve the voting process locally. He's been working hard with county supervisors to unveil a pilot project for electronic voting, scheduled to debut this November.

Voters will begin casting ballots on touch screens as a trial run before complete conversion to an electronic system.

Under a federal court order, Santa Clara County and eight other California counties have until March 2004 to discard the old-fashioned "butterfly" punch-hole ballots and enter the modern age of voting.

But on Election Day Nov. 5 we must all resolve to vote with the resources available now to us—the voters. We must start reading and studying the state and county materials we've received in the mail about the election.

There are many resources out there to educate us about the election process, the candidates and the issues.

The California League of Women Voters maintains the "Smart Voter" website, which contains valuable information about the upcoming election. Voters can type in their addresses and learn where their polling places are located. They can also read about the candidates and their platforms. Smart Voter also has information on state and local ballot measures and propositions as submitted by proponents and opponents, and shows voters which ones will be on their particular ballots. Kudos to the league's education fund for creating this nonpartisan resource.

The Santa Clara County Library System should also be praised for offering voters several resources providing nonpartisan, objective information about the election through the 2002 Voter's Self Defense Manual and Project Vote Smart. Voters can access the information by visiting www.vote-smart.org.

The Easy Reading Voter Guide, sponsored by the League of Women Educators Fund, is another great resource—a 16-page booklet that provides reader-friendly, nonpartisan voting information. The guide is available in several different languages for those with limited English skills. Copies may be downloaded at www.easyvoter.org/ervg/index.html.

I learned what I call the "the unforgettable American voting lesson of the millennium" two years ago—I will cast my ballot and let my voice be heard this Nov. 5.

Sheila Sanchez is the editor of The Willow Glen Resident. She can be reached at 408.200.1051 or ssanchez@svcn.com.