Americablog: More States Demanding Paper Trail For Voting

by Michael in New York - 8/10/2005 01:49:00 PM

USA Today has a story on the growing number of states that are demanding electronic voting machines provide a paper trail voters can check themselves. (My state, New York, just passed a law, thank God. We're about to replace aging machines. Has yours?) There's a graphic showing which states have laws or are at least considering them. Among the nine states that aren't even thinking about this issue: Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. I suppose they're still reeling from letting blacks vote.

Some election experts fear that paper backup records will add a layer of complexity to an already delicate system. That could lead to even worse problems in the 2006 elections, such as jammed printers and long voting lines, they say.

"The unintended consequence of a (paper trail) mandate could diminish, rather than enhance, voter confidence," says Conny McCormack, who runs elections in the nation's largest voting jurisdiction, Los Angeles County.