Summary
Unlike many other states, Maine has not rushed into unproven, manipulation-prone touch-screen voting machines, which may well lead elsewhere to confusion, fraud, protest and delay in the approaching presidential election. Maine's Elections Division, a branch of the Department of the Secretary of State, has had the wisdom to stick this time with the paper ballots and electronic counting system that has worked well. And next year, when Maine must turn to at least some electronic voting machines to comply with the new federal Help Americans Vote Act, our state is bound by state law to require a verifiable paper trail to permit a recount in the event of any dispute.
Why are some other states heading for likely trouble with their new voting machines? The difference, according to a New York Times report on the situation, is the cozy relationships in some states between their election officials and the voting-machine industry. The companies naturally want to sell their machines, and they often oppose paper trails and measures to ensure against partisan manipulation of the devices. So they often have enlisted the support of election officials by offering personal gifts, consulting fees and even jobs.See the full content of this document
Extract
Maine's Clean Elections
The Times reports that the secretary of state in California in 2003 left off...
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