BBV: precincts could still use paper ballots if they wanted to

[Eric J in MN]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040...

Many county registrars say installing a new system five weeks before an election would confound poll workers and guarantee breakdowns on election day. Wexler acknowledged that Monday's decision was a victory "in the long term."

But computer scientists said counties could install paper-based systems if courts demanded it.

"We know we could hold an election if all the paperless machines simply evaporated — we'd print paper ballots and hand-count the things," said Stanford University computer science professor David Dill. "We know it's doable — it's just a question of having the courts decide how severe an emergency this is."

[In Truth We Trust]

1. Wouldn't it be nice if the machines all spontaneously combusted!