Cook County discovered the hard way in this year’s Illinois primary election that electronic voting machines are not foolproof. Problems in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania have left election officials scratching their heads in confusion over thousands of votes that disappeared, without a paper trail.
Now a study by New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice has found security vulnerabilities in touch-screen and optical scan electronic voting systems that could be exploited by a determined hacker. Machines that use wireless components, in particular, were found to be so vulnerable that precinct tallies could be altered with a pocket-sized, hand-held transmitting device.
How to avoid tampering? The Brennan researchers recommend frequent vote audits and a ban on Internet connections or wireless components in voting machines and polling places.
Voting machine vendors have dismissed many of the concerns, saying they do not reflect the real-life experience of running elections. But the vendors–given recent experience–don’t inspire a lot of confidence.
Illinois requires paper records that can be verified by the voter and by auditors. But only 25 other states require voter-verifiable paper records and fewer than half of those states require regular audits. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia are considering such requirements. New York and Minnesota ban the use of wireless devices in voting machines, according to the Brennan study.
U.S. Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.) has proposed legislation to require voter-verified paper records and random audits in all states. He has 193 co-sponsors, a spokesman said. Voters should have the old-fashioned reliability of paper to verify that when they vote, it counts.
