Trusted votes: The public needs confidence at the polling place


Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
...Separately, VoteAllegheny, a non-partisan election integrity group, has asked Allegheny County to test a random sample of touch-screen voting machines to verify that the software is the same the state earlier certified for paperless voting. Even County Council has called on the board of elections to verify the software, but the board has not scheduled a software audit even though problems have arisen with touch-screen machines in other states.

Given the fact that faulty machines and software have been a factor in other close elections, it's cavalier to assume that just because there was no evidence of malfunction in the past, the software is adequate to the task.

Checking the software now would instill confidence in voters who will turn out in unprecedented numbers on Nov. 4. The stakes are high enough without the pressure of wondering whether everyone's vote will count.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08267/914222-192.stm