Electronic Voting Fatally Flawed

Interview with Pokey Anderson, independent journalist, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

This election season marks the first time many states have used electronic voting machines. Their use was encouraged by the 2002 Help America Vote Act, or HAVA, and was intended to reduce the problems caused by hanging chads and other flaws in older voting systems. But many individuals and organizations who have investigated how the various new machines work -- using a variety of electronic technologies -- have criticized them as vulnerable to malfunction and intentional hacking. In the last several elections some major flaws have been uncovered, such as thousands of ballots going to the wrong candidates, counting phantom votes or the loss of large numbers of ballots. But while the big errors are easier to uncover and correct, it's the smaller shifts in vote counts that may never be detected.

The New York Times reports that in the 2006 congressional election, half of the 45 most competitive races were conducted on electronic machines with no independent verification, such as a paper printout.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Pokey Anderson, a Houston-based independent journalist who has spent the past 3-1/2 years researching the promises and pitfalls of electronic voting. She describes the changes wrought since the Help America Vote Act, and proposes a method to protect the integrity of America's elections.

For more information on the issues surrounding electronic voting visit the website of Black Box Voting at www.blackboxvoting.org

To report election irregularities contact the Election Protection Coalition, by calling 1-866-OUR-VOTE toll free, or visit their website at www.866ourvote.org

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