Ohio governor approves electronic voting machines in 31 counties

By: Associated Press | Friday, May 7, 2004 11:03 PM PDT ∞

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. Bob Taft signed a bill Friday authorizing up to 31 counties to switch to electronic voting machines in time for the Nov. 2 election.

The new law also requires that by May 2006, such machines issue paper receipts confirming to voters their choices.

All 88 counties will be required to have electronic voting systems by May 2006. Some of the 31 authorized to switch by November may choose to wait if they don't have enough time to make the change from punch card and lever voting systems.

Electronic voting machines have come under fire. Security experts say the ATM-like machines are too vulnerable to tampering and malfunction. Critics also say that because the machines don't produce a paper record for each vote, proper recounts are impossible.

Some of the machines in Maryland and California also had suffered hardware problems during the March 2 primaries.

Ohio's approval came a week after California's top election official banned the latest model of such machines from Diebold Inc. and set restrictions on other e-voting equipment this November.

California's Riverside County and disabled voters filed a federal lawsuit Thursday over that order, saying it violates the right to vote secretly. The lawsuit also argued that paper-based voting costs more and has higher rates of error.

Ohio's bill leaves it up to Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell's office to develop a system to let voters confirm their votes before they are counted. He also must find a way to keep the votes secure before they leave the polling place.

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