Paper Trail Flawed in Ohio Election, Study

Computerworld:

A report questioning the accuracy of Diebold Election Systems' e-voting equipment in a recent Ohio election gives more ammunition to critics who doubt the viability of electronic voting technology.

The report, issued publicly last week, was based on a study funded by the Board of Commissioners of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. It claimed that even backup paper records meant to assure voters that their votes were tabulated correctly can prove inaccurate.

Nearly 10% of the paper copies of votes cast in the election were "either destroyed, blank, illegible, missing, taped together or otherwise compromised," the report said.

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This report underscores that voting machines aren't used in a vacuum, noted Michael Shamos, a professor who specializes in e-voting and security issues at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The devices are used as part of a huge system of people, laws and procedures, he said.

Shamos noted that the paper trails didn't guarantee a safe, reliable election. "When machines fail," he said, "the paper trail doesn't work, either."

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