Voting Paper Trails Popular but Use Not Clear

The Pew Charitable trust reports on a new electionline.org study showing that, while half of the states in the country will require the use of voter-verifiable paper audit trails with electronic voting machines in the next two years, they really don’t know how they might use them to resolve close or contested elections.

According to the study, while 25 states will require the use of paper trails in time for the 2008 presidential election, so far only 14 states currently plan to use them as the official record in recounts.

Doug Chapin, director of electionline.org suggest that “aside from putting voters’ minds at ease,” what state election officials will actually do with the hard copy voting records, “is likely to be the subject of sharp debate in the immediate future.”

These less that reassuring findings are findings are part of “Recounts: From Punch Cards to Paper Trails (.pdf),” a new study analyzing recount procedures from across the country and the 12th such briefing produced by electionline.org.

Related Articles:
States Demand Voting Reforms
How Your Votes Get Counted