Electronic voting panel passes proposal

[Judi Lynn]

Dec. 6, 2006, 2:44AM
Electronic voting panel passes proposal

By STEPHEN MANNING Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A federal advisory panel approved a revised proposal that encourages states to use electronic voting machines that can be independently verified, a day after rejecting a similar recommendation.

The resolution, adopted unanimously Tuesday by the panel drafting voting guidelines for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, recommends that states use voting machines that produce a paper record or other means for voters and election officials to make sure ballots were properly cast and counted.

It suggests that when states buy new machines, they consider buying ones that include verification tools.

The vote came during a two-day meeting in Gaithersburg, Md., at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which issued a report last week that found paperless voting systems used by millions of voters nationwide could be vulnerable to tampering or glitches that could skew elections without detection.

The report said auditors should have a way to verify that the voting machines produced accurate results.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4382470.html

[ashling]

1. Still too weak

It suggests that when states buy new machines, they consider buying ones that include verification tools.