The Miami Herald.com Editorializes:
Prevent future election debacles in Florida
OUR OPINION: ADD PAPER TRAIL OF VOTES TO ELECTRONIC VOTING PROCESS
 A mere 12 votes determined that Ellyn Bogdanoff won last week's state House District 91 special election in eastern Broward County. But it is the 134 nonvotes in the election that have created a stir with good reason. Unfortunately, it's anybody's guess as to why more than 130 voters chose not to push the red ''vote'' button to cast their ballots in a district election.

A mystery

With no tangible evidence as in actual paper ballots the mystery likely will remain. Did the machines malfunction? Did voters misunderstand the instructions or did they simply opt not to make a choice? Did poll workers mishandle the touch-screen machines after the voters walked away? Poll workers are supposed to cast the ballots when voters neglect to push the ''vote'' button to collect an accurate tally of how many people voted, even those who make no ions in some races. Did poll workers instead mistakenly cancel the ballots? We don't know, and that's a problem that could plague Florida's elections if it isn't remedied.

Such a close race mandated a recount, but even when that process is certified, those 134 nonvotes won't be explained because the county's $17.2 million touch-screen system doesn't provide a paper record of each vote. Only consolidated totals can be compared with the summary totals from each voting machine. In a way, this puzzle cropping up now is a fortuitous warning that Florida election supervisors and elected officials should heed. The ritzy voting systems installed in Florida in the aftermath of the 2000 election debacle are extremely accurate, but they lack a vital safeguard to guarantee that every voter's choices are counted and verified. They don't make a paper record of all votes cast, a crucial document for recounts.

Tangible proof

A paper record can be compared against the tallied results. Each machine would produce a paper copy of each voter's ions, which the voter verifies. The printed copy would be deposited automatically in a secure container, ready for a recount if necessary.

While this could add millions of dollars in a one-time cost to Florida's elections equipment, its worth goes beyond to the heart of democracy. That's why U.S. Sen. Bob Graham last month introduced a bill that would require a paper record of votes.

Florida officials shouldn't wait for the outcome of this legislation, however, before initiating steps to create a paper trail for every election here.