Senator backs voting machine bill after firsthand experience
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — Sen. Barbara Mikulski added her name Monday to a bill that would require electronic voting machines to produce a paper record of ballots, just one day after a machine she tested at a local festival produced an erroneous result.

The Maryland Democrat signed on as a co-sponsor the legislation filed by Sen. Bob Graham, D-Florida, according to Mikulski aide Michael Morrill. Graham's bill was introduced in April in response to fears that electronic voting machines used nationwide are subject to human error, could fail or be tampered with.

Mikulski got a firsthand look at possible voting mistakes when she tried out an AccuVote TS touch screen machine Sunday at a folk festival in Takoma Park.

Maryland was one of the first states in the country to implement touch-screen voting, spending $55 million on the program. Elections officials said there were few problems with the machines during the March primary.

But as Mikulski tried to vote on a referendum question, her hand inadvertently grazed the screen and cast a "yes" vote for another mock ballot question on whether there should be a national lottery, according to Morrill, who stood next to her as she tested the machine.

Mikulski, who had planned to vote "no" on the question, tried to push the "no" button to change her vote, but the machine didn't make the change. She finally corrected the ballot by pushing "yes" again to clear the vote and then "no" again to record her true vote.

Morrill said Mikulski had planned to join the Graham bill before the incident, but that the example reinforces her belief that a voter moving quickly through a ballot could inadvertently cast the wrong vote.

"It did not create her belief, but it did reinforce her belief that you need a paper trail to ensure that you voted the way you wanted," he said.

A spokesman for Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems, which makes the AccuVote machine, said it provides ample opportunity for voters to change their votes and gives clear instructions on how to do so.

David Bear said the touch screen equipment also said voters see a summary screen at the end of their voting session, detailing each vote they cast.

"The voter always has the option to change their vote," he said. "The vote isn't cast until they hit the 'cast ballot' button."

The Graham legislation would require all electronic voting machines used nationwide to create a paper record of every ballot. The extra step is meant to provide a back up in case of a recount and a way for voters to verify who they voted for.

A Maryland advocacy group has filed suit in state courts, seeking to force the state to implement stronger security measures offer paper ballots at polling places as an alternative to the voting machines.

A circuit court judge rejected their claims, saying the state has done its best to protect the voting system. An appeal of that verdict was scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the Maryland Court of Appeals.