Federal panel rejects extra checks on electronic voting machines

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) Electronic voting machines won't be required to have paper records of election results.<br/><br/>The U.S. Election Assistance Commission voted against a recommendation to require

Monday, December 4th 2006, 6:11 pm

By: News On 6

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) Electronic voting machines won't be required to have paper records of election results.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission voted against a recommendation to require states to only use machines whose results could be independently verified.

Some commission members who voted against it said the risk of voting mishaps is small and that state election boards shouldn't have to rush verification requirements into place.

But the panel member who proposed the requirement says not having a way to verify results could mean that software errors go undetected.

Twenty-seven states already mandate verifiable paper records. Twenty-eight use them but don't require them. Only Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and South Carolina use machines without paper records.