Statewide electronic voting delayed

Julie Carr Smyth
Plain Dealer Bureau
12/03/03

Columbus - Ohio's sweeping review of electronic voting machines turned up so many potential security flaws in the systems that the state's top elections official has called off deploying them in March.

The detailed findings confirmed what academics, computer scientists and voter advocates across the country have said for months: Electronic voting systems are prime targets for manipulation by anyone from expert computer hackers to poll workers to individual voters.

Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who ordered the review, said he and machine vendors are confident that all 57 problems identified by investigators can be fixed.

He said his decision to detail each security flaw in a public report, and then to assure each one is addressed, will provide vendors with a "Good Seal of Security Approval" and build confidence in electronic voting technology both in the state of Ohio and around the United States

Statewide electronic voting delayed