E-Votes Must Leave a Paper Trail
SAN FRANCISCO --
California will become the first state requiring all electronic voting machines produce a voter-verifiable paper receipt.
The requirement, announced Friday by California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, applies to all electronic voting systems already in use as well as those currently being purchased. The machines must be retrofitted with printers to produce a receipt by 2006.
With a receipt, voters will be able to verify that their ballots have been properly cast. However, they will not be allowed to keep the receipts, which will be stored at voting precincts and used for a recount if any voting irregularities arise.
Beginning July 1, 2005, counties will not be able to purchase any machine that does not produce a paper trail. As of July 2006, all machines, no matter when they were purchased, must offer a voter-verifiable paper audit trail. This means machines currently in use by four counties in the state will have to be fitted with new printers to meet the requirement.
"The schedule I have set forth for implementing a VVPAT (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail) will ensure that there is adequate time for new voting systems to be properly certified," Shelley said in a statement released by his office Friday afternoon. "This also allows time to train elections officials and poll workers and to educate voters."
The statement continued, "As the state progresses with new technology, all Californians must have confidence that every vote cast is a vote counted. These new requirements will provide this confidence."
The announcement follows the creation of a task force Shelley convened in February to discuss growing concerns about the security of electronic voting machines.
The task force was composed of election officials, computer experts, members of the general public and representatives of the disabled community. The task force was divided between two factions: a vocal contingent that opposed a paper trail and a minority of computer and voting experts who supported the requirement.
Proponents of a paper trail say the California decision is likely to influence other states that have been undecided about whether to require voter receipts.
Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation and a member of Shelley's task force, predicted other states would follow California's lead.
"I suspect there are many election officials across the country who have been watching this debate this year and waiting to see how things shake out," she said. "Shelley's actions will give them more room to stand up for what they believe in, and what I think most people believe in, which is the need for more transparent voting systems."
Alexander said California will be the first state to require a voter paper trail for existing computerized voting machines.
"There are a handful of states that have passed statutes or certification rules that prohibit the acquisition of paperless computerized voting machines in the future," she said. "But no state that already has computerized voting machines has implemented a paper audit trail requirement."
According to the California Voter Foundation, 21 percent of the ballots cast nationwide in 2002 were on paperless electronic voting machines. That's double the amount in 2000. California currently has four counties using paperless electronic voting machines. That number is expected to increase to 10 in time for the March primary.
Warren Slocum, elections chief for San Mateo County, called the announcement an "historic moment" and said he knew of at least six counties in the state that support the call for a paper trail.
"Election integrity is absolutely a fundamental requirement of our democracy," he said. "And this is one step toward strengthening that and giving voters confidence that their vote was handled by the computer in the way they wanted it to be handled."
In response to remarks made by other state election officials that a paper receipt would increase county costs, Slocum replied, "Democracy ain't cheap. It's true we have a fiscal crisis and it's going to cost money, but what is the cost of blowing an election? What's the cost to the community to have a candidate who believes they lost an election because they believe the computer didn't count the votes correctly?"
Alfie Charles, a vice president of Sequoia Voting Systems, whose Edge touch-screen voting machines are currently used in Riverside County in Southern California, said the added printing capability would probably cost $500 per machine, since it would have to be custom manufactured. The Edge currently lists at $3,195.
However, Charles said the price should come down as demand for the component increases.
Avante International Technology was the first e-vote vendor to offer a verifiable paper trail with its Vote-Trakker machine.
Charles said that Sequoia has also produced a voter-verifiable hardware and software component for its machines that it plans to submit for federal certification in early 2004. He expects the component will be on the market by next summer.
Opponents of a voter receipt have long argued that it would complicate the voting process by forcing poll workers to fix paper jams and change paper rolls in the middle of an election.
However, Charles said the printing component designed for the Edge uses a roll of paper that scrolls behind a glass partition. Voters do not get to touch the receipt, but can view it to verify their votes. The fact that the machine does not cut individual receipts for voters, he said, saves paper.
He also said that one roll of paper should be able to record the votes of up to 200 voters. Sequoia generally recommends voting precincts use one machine for every 150 to 170 voters. Since most precincts in California use five machines, the paper on them would accommodate up to 1,000 voters.
If a machine runs out of paper, he said, Sequoia would recommend that poll workers remove the entire printer component and replace it with a new one so that workers do not need to touch the receipt roll.
"This helps minimize the amount of paper handling that occurs and protects the integrity of the ballots and the election," Charles said.
In addition to the voter receipt, Secretary of State Shelley called for the creation of a technical oversight committee as well as additional requirements for software testing and auditing and new security protocols for manufacturers. He also called for random field testing on election days to ensure that voting machines are functioning properly.
Stanford computer science professor David Dill, who also served on Shelley's voting task force, said California's forward-thinking move should reverberate throughout the nation. "There's going to be a tidal wave emanating from California and heading east. California is historically a leader, especially when it comes to technology issues.
"This breaks the vicious circle where the vendors say they're not producing printers because they say there's no demand for them," he added. "Now vendors are going to be required to produce these machines and everybody else (in other states) will be able to buy them, too."
If you'd open YOUR eyes, you'd see I've repeatedly stated my position that paper trails were needed...but yeah we'll just forget that little detail. And yes there have been people here that are setting up their positions to cry about some right-wing take over - or are you really that naive? 
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