Stem cell research, climate change, the reliability of voting systems — some of the most crucial issues of the 2004 election campaign were issues of science and technology, and they are certain to remain in the news throughout the second term of U.S. President George W. Bush. On this page, you'll find links to major AAAS/Science coverage of science and technology issues as they unfolded during the race, including detailed statements from the campaigns of President George W. Bush and his challenger, U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

New Webcast: Dec. 1 Election 2004: Assessing the Impact on S&T From 9 to 11 a.m. EST Wednesday, 1 December 2004, top experts at a AAAS forum discussed the impact of the 2004 election on science and technology. View webcast >> Hear the Bush and Kerry Camps' Take on the Issues On Thursday, 30 September, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT, AAAS hosted a public forum on science and technology policy where representatives discussed their candidate's positions. Former House Science Committee Chairman Bob Walker represented the Bush-Cheney campaign. Physicist Henry Kelly, former assistant director for technology of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, spoke for Kerry-Edwards. Although this was a forum, not a debate, it gave members of the scientific community the opportunity to compare the views of the candidates on a range of issues. Listen to the forum: (requires free RealPlayer software) RealAudio: 16kb | 160kb MP3: 24kb | 96kb | 160kb News Release Candidates' Forum Read What the Candidates Themselves Have to Say On 2 November, U.S. voters will decide whether to give George W. Bush a second term or put John Kerry in the White House. Continuing a presidential election tradition, Science has asked each candidate to lay out his views on more than a dozen science-related issues facing the nation. Related links: Bush and Kerry Offer Their Views on Science Editorial by Science's Donald Kennedy

Voting Technology New AAAS Report Explores Electronic Voting Concerns, Solutions Just days before a closely contested presidential election, AAAS released a new report on the state of electronic voting systems and the need for extensive research to define problems and possible solutions. "Making Each Vote Count: A Research Agenda For Electronic Voting" is the result of a forum that brought technical and cyber-security experts, election officials, social and behavioral scientists and other to AAAS for two days in September. The chaos of the 2000 presidential election "drew public attention in a most dramatic fashion to weaknesses in our voting system," the report says. That, in turn, drove interest in electronic voting systems, but the reliability of those systems has been mixed. "In some instances, voting, and all of the procedures associated with it, have proceeded without a hitch," the report says. "In other cases, there have been accusations of tampering and fraud, and litigation challenging the accuracy and reliability of the voting systems used. Serious concerns remain about the design, use, and impact of electronic voting methods, even as we move inexorably toward the November 2004 general election." You can read the full report by clicking below. You can also watch a video of the discussions and evaluations that closed the September workshop. Related links: Workshop home page Final Report - 28 October 2004 News Release Science Editorial The lack of security and accountability in some voting systems raises troubling questions, says an editorial by Donald Kennedy, editor-in-chief of Science. Read the editorial