Since Congress certified Saturday that George W. Bush will indeed be the next president, the nation can finally turn its attention to what comes next — Bush's nominations for his administration and his plans for the next four years.

Now, Bush and his fellow Republicans are looking ahead to his inauguration Jan. 20 when they take control of the White House and Capitol Hill.

But wait just a minute, Mr. President-elect.

House Democrats announced Saturday they will conduct an investigation into voter problems that surfaced in the election — and they have the right idea.

While a messy election with questionable results isn't pleasant to dwell upon, the trust of voters is important to maintain.

By glossing over obvious discrepancies in the voting system, politicians would attempt to silence the very voice of the people who elect them to office.

It's only fair to voters that a full investigation into the election takes place. Voters want to feel secure that their votes are accurately counted, not tampered with, thrown out or discounted.

After a rocky election that has made partisanship an even stronger force in this nation's politics, many Americans are looking ahead in hopes of more cooperative efforts between the parties.

Likewise, politicians are also making efforts to rebuild American trust in government and democracy.

When the Republican-led 107th Congress convened Wednesday, Republicans and Democrats pledged to work toward bipartisanship but rifts quickly developed.

Newly re-elected House speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) told representatives that it served them no purpose to dwell on the tumultuous 2000 election. "We need to get to the people's business," he said.

However, Republicans should fully support an evaluation of the electoral process and consider possibilities to unify our voting system. Even Bush himself should appreciate an investigation that would put to rest any doubts his constituents might have.

For starters, the evaluation should examine voting ballots, which should be the same in all 50 states so counters won't have questions about butterfly ballots and dimpled chads. The validity of the electoral college in expressing the will of the people as opposed to the popular vote should be examined as well.

Changing the way our country has chosen its leaders for centuries may not be the next step, but at least examining how things have been done may provide some insight for updating a system that obviously has some glitches.