AP: Extra Checks on Voting Machines Rejected

[Eugene]

Extra Checks on Voting Machines Rejected

By STEPHEN MANNING
The Associated Press
Monday, December 4, 2006; 6:38 PM

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- A federal advisory panel on Monday rejected a recommendation
that states use only voting machines whose results could be independently verified.

The panel drafting voting guidelines for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission
voted 6-6 not to adopt a proposal that would have required electronic machines used
by millions of voters to produce a paper record or other independent means of checking
election results. Eight votes were needed to pass it.

The failed resolution, proposed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer
scientist and panel member Ronald Rivest, closely mirrored a report released last
week that warned that paperless electronic voting machines are vulnerable to errors
and fraud and cannot be made secure.

Some panel members who voted against the proposal said they support paper records
but don't think the risk of widespread voting machine meltdowns are great enough
to rush the requirement into place and overwhelm state election boards.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120400991.html