Editorial: Voting reform loses federal momentum

Web Posted: 07/11/2004 12:00 AM CDT

San Antonio Express-News

The nation has failed to eliminate outdated voting systems since the controversial 2000 presidential election.

Four years after the worst voting controversy in presidential election history, the United States is quickly approaching another election that could be equally as close. But timid federal leadership has prevented voting-system upgrades in many areas around the nation.

The Scripps Howard News Service has estimated that 25 percent of Americans will be using the same voting machines they did in 2000.

After the recount battle in Florida featuring indecipherable punch-card ballots, a call for voting-system reform rang across the land. Congress passed legislation that provided financial assistance for updating the systems.

Many counties, including Bexar, have moved to electronic voting machines.

According to nonpartisan electionline.org, almost 30 percent of American voters will be able to vote electronically in November — only a 17 percent increase from four years ago.

The switch from the old methods that produced so many headaches has been significantly slowed because of concerns about the security of the new touch-screen voting machines.

A lack of "voter-verified paper audit trails" is the main criticism from those who fear that hackers can manipulate the vote totals in the electronic systems.

Controversy has flared from coast to coast, prompting many counties to stick with punch cards and optical-scan paper ballots until federal officials address the paper audit trail issue.

Various entities in Bexar County have held 19 elections with the county's new electronic equipment, and no serious problem has surfaced.

Still, public concern about the lack of a paper trail has led Bexar officials to call a mock recount next month to show that the system is secure.

The iVotronic machines have three redundant memories, tightly controlled activators, proprietary software and seals to prevent physical tampering. County officials and the manufacturer, Electronic Systems & Software, express full confidence in the equipment.

But even if the system is secure, it is difficult for public officials to easily dismiss security concerns among the large segments of the public. For democracy to work, voters must be confident their ballots are being accurately counted. That's why verifiable paper trails may be unavoidable in the long run.

For 2004, forget about it. Paper verification is not required in Texas, and vendors aren't seeking state certification because they are waiting for federal officials to draft guidelines for such equipment.

The federal Election Assistance Commission created by Congress in 2002 is expected to address the paper trail issue. However, the commission didn't have its first meeting until March, and news reports reveal that government officials haven't placed the commission's needs on the front burner.

Legislation that would require paper verification for electronic voting machines is languishing in Congress.

Despite the security concerns, Bexar County is lucky to have the new machines.

Some jurisdictions moved from punch cards to optical scan systems, which also are deeply flawed.

Congress and the administration should have done more to force changes.