http://www.time.com/time/election2004/article/0,18471,629410,00.html?cnn=yesThe Vexations Of Voting Machines
Kinks in e-voting systems have given rise to a backlash. Are the machines reliable enough?
<snip>
Most critics of e-voting have two complaints. One is that it's not possible to do a true recount with the systems because they produce nothing tangible when a vote is cast; a recount means pressing a button and coming up with the same results. Representative Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the sleek new systems bought by 15 counties — including those of hanging-chad fame like Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade — are unconstitutional because votes can't truly be retallied there, as they can in the rest of the state.
The other concern about evoting is that some of the nation's top computer scientists and code crackers believe the systems are too vulnerable to tampering or simple breakdowns. "If you believe, as I do, that voting is one of our critical infrastructures, then you have to defend it like you do your power grid, your water supply," says former National Security Agency code breaker Michael Wertheimer. "That's not happening anywhere." And with a closely split electorate marching toward another presidential showdown, shaky voter confidence in the results could lead to another huge outcry or keep more people from going to the polls. With voter participation at a paltry 51.3% in 2000, Americans hardly need another reason not to vote.
<snip>