February 07, 2006

"States slow to improve voting systems -report"

"Many states have fallen behind in efforts to upgrade voting equipment and improve voter registration and identification ahead of November's congressional elections, a report issued on Tuesday said.

The report said nearly half of the states missed last month's federal deadline to implement changes required by the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which Congress passed to help restore confidence in the integrity of a process shaken by the drawn-out 2000 recount saga in Florida.

The report, by the non-partisan Electionline.org project, said reforms have stalled across the country for a variety of reasons, including growing concerns about the reliability of electronic voting machines and about the legality of voter ID requirements.

"The lack of progress in nearly half of the states throws into doubt whether HAVA's goals can be achieved in time for the November 2006 vote," said Doug Chapin, director of Electionline.org, which analyzes election reform efforts around the country.

The report said concern about electronic voting machines and their susceptibility to tampering has steadily grown since passage of the law, and 25 states now require either the use of paper audit trails or that a ballot be cast only on paper."

You can find the electionline report here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at February 7, 2006 03:25 PM