States fall behind on voting-system improvements
By Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY   14 February 2005

WASHINGTON ? Repairs to the nation's voting system, already long overdue, are likely to remain uncompleted by the 2006 congressional elections, top state election officials warn. 
 Hampered by delays in federal guidance and local political complications, officials say the lag could lead to problems in next year's voting. They also fear being penalized for missing deadlines to revamp their voting systems under a 2002 law that has doled out $2.2 billion so far to help them replace antiquated voting machines and improve voter-registration systems.

"We are behind the eight ball here," says Rebecca Vigil-Giron, New Mexico's secretary of state and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. "Most of the states will not be in compliance with those deadlines."

The Help America Vote Act called for the changes to be in place by Jan. 1, 2004. But 44 states couldn't make that deadline and took advantage of a waiver that extended the time until Jan. 1, 2006.

States that miss the deadline could face problems in the 2006 elections similar to those in 2004, when some voting machines malfunctioned and some voters' eligibility was challenged. In Ohio, which helped put President Bush over the top, it took weeks to count about 150,000 provisional ballots, used when a voter's name or address doesn't match the official registration list.

Two major tasks face the states:

? Creation of statewide voter-registration databases that allow instant s when voters register or move to a new address. Only 17 states have such systems.

Creating one involves both technical and political challenges. Data from county and local voter rolls, often stored in incompatible systems, must be merged. Also, county officials enjoy relative autonomy in running elections and have resisted attempts to limit their authority.

? Replacement of outmoded lever-style and punch-card voting machines with more reliable computerized models. Prompted by Florida's experience with "hanging chads" in the 2000 elections, the changeover of equipment has been slowed by several factors, including a debate about whether electronic machines should have a paper backup for use in recounts.

A federal effort to set technical standards for new machines got a late start, and guidelines won't be available to states until late this summer. Then companies have to design machines to meet the standards, laboratories must certify them, and localities must solicit bids for contracts. It's all too late to meet a year-end purchase deadline.

Election administrators are under intense pressure, says Joseph Meyer, Wyoming's secretary of state. "They are saying, 'The uncertainty is killing me, and it's driving me in directions I may not want to go,' " he says. "It may not lead to the best decisions."

"They're caught between a rock and a hard place," says Kimball Brace of Election Data Services, which tracks what kinds of voting machines are used in the nation's 8,000 voting jurisdictions. "They don't have enough guidance, and yet they've got this law that says they shouldn't be using the old machines anymore."