Profile In Courage Awards Given Out

BOSTON -- Two election officials and a former governor were honored Monday at the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester with Profile in Courage Awards.

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner were honored for challenging the reliability of electronic voting systems. Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter received an award for his work in helping to close a racial gap in public schools.

VIDEO: Profile In Courage Awards Given Out

Bowen and Brunner faced major obstacles and political pressures leading up to the presidential primaries. They found trouble in voting systems and went to paper ballots to assure residents the right to vote.

Sen. Ted Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy handed out the awards.

"We have seen -- even in recent times -- where that vote has been threatened. It's been threatened in the courts. It's been threatened in state legislatures and even in the appeals to the Supreme Court of the United States," Sen. Ted Kennedy said.