Thanks to Arizona’s Sen. John McCain, it is all but certain that the Bush administration and the new Congress will again face the issue of campaign finance reform. With that should come a serious effort to improve the way our elections are conducted. Together, they could shape a welcome revolution in American democracy.

The last two federal elections have been characterized by fund-raising scandals and spending of such proportions as to make soliciting contributions the central focus of any national campaign. Adding to that, the Florida fiasco was a national embarrassment.

Going into the November election, the world knew that either George W. Bush or Al Gore would become president. As a nation, we had only to pick one.

Choosing, however, is only part of the process. The other component, perhaps more important, consists of ensuring that the choice is arrived at in a way that leaves no doubt about the integrity of the process. In this regard, the process failed.

The presidential election of 2000 was essentially a tie, but our system allows no such answer; one of the two had to win. Because of the vagaries of the Electoral College without which this mess may have been far worse — the question came down to Florida, where election systems and laws did not live up to the task.

The weeks following Election Day were largely full of hype and posturing, but Florida’s vote-counting machinery was prone to error and its legal system lacked a quick and equitable procedure to decide the issue. The result was an election fought out in the courts and an outcome too many Americans see as suspect.

What Congress can do to help is limited, but it can provide the initiative, focus and the nation’s attention — and perhaps supply some money as well. Elections are run by the states, under state laws, but federal funds could be used to help states upgrade their voting equipment, set uniform standards for such machines, or to study ways to improve vote-counting systems. Federal funds could also be used to encourage the states to establish uniform guidelines for recounts or contested elections.