Editorial:Retreating to the past won't smooth voting

Web Posted: 08/15/2004 12:01 AM CDT

San Antonio Express-News

Touch screen voting machines are taking a beating from fearful critics as the presidential election approaches.

Voting-rights activists are sounding a fevered warning that the machines are vulnerable to hackers who could alter election results.

It seems virtually inevitable that paper-trail mechanisms will be added to the electronic systems to ease the fears of tampering.

In most cases that can't happen this year because the mechanics of creating a paper trail haven't been worked out, and federal and state regulations for such a procedure have not been established.

In Bexar County and many other counties across the nation, voters will be depending on elections officials to take adequate security measures to ensure an accurate election.

The Election Systems and Software equipment used in Bexar is not Windows-based, making it harder for hackers to crack. The system also includes proprietary software, three redundant memories, tightly controlled activators and seals to prevent tampering.

It's probably true that no system is foolproof, but before voters start pining for the good old days, they should dust off their own memory banks.

Critics of electronic voting recently told Express-News reporter Roy Bragg that optical scan systems, which electronically count paper ballots, are the best available.

That is the type of system Bexar County dumped — and for good reason.

Bexar's optical scan system was plagued with problems. All too often, county employees were forced to interpret ballots that hadn't been properly marked. Interpreting the intent of voters is an inaccurate way to count votes.

The paper ballots were known to swell in humid conditions and the counters frequently jammed.

In the controversial 28th Congressional District election earlier this year, optical scanning equipment produced hotly disputed results in Webb and Zapata counties. Each of three recounts in Webb produced different results.

It's too late for Bexar and many other counties to reverse course. And despite fears about touch screen voting machines, going back to the past isn't the answer.