Lawmakers want to prevent a repetition of the confusion, irregularities and ballot disputes that occurred in the presidential election of 2000.

And, he said, he does not think that strict guidelines for the board's resolution of ballot disputes would necessarily help.

Now, with the ballot dispute in Florida delaying the election's outcome, the once-ubiquitous candidates have gone into virtual seclusion.

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani supported the candidates' efforts to change the rules in hopes of limiting the number of ballot disputes.

The measure sets minimum federal standards intended to prevent a repetition of the ballot disputes that cast a cloud over his election two years ago.

With a strong bipartisan vote, the House of Representatives today approved legislation intended to prevent ballot disputes like the ones in Florida after last year's presidential election.

The sad reality is that ballot disputes and imperfections are a feature of every election.

Mr. Olson, 60, represented the Bush campaign before the Supreme Court in the ballot dispute.

The paradoxes in voting patterns can be seen in Miami-Dade County, at the center of the ballot dispute.

The measure, intended to prevent ballot disputes like those that bedeviled the 2000 presidential election, authorizes $3.9 billion in federal aid to states.