E-voting probe wanted

BY Michael Hardy
May 14, 2004

Thirteen members of the House of Representatives have asked the General Accounting Office to investigate electronic voting and the security and reliability of voting machines.

In a letter sent today to Comptroller General David Walker, the members write that the topic concerns "a critical aspect of American democracy — the ability of Americans to have confidence that the votes they cast in an election will be counted accurately and fairly."

The letter touches on security concerns that some computer scientists have raised about direct recording electronic (DRE) machines, which are made by several companies. Voters using DREs record their votes by touching the screen. Some computer scientists and legislators worry that the machines could record incorrect information, whether through accident or malevolent intent, but many election officials and vendor officials dismiss the concerns.

Eight Republicans are among the 13 signers, as what had been a largely Democratic issue becomes increasingly bipartisan.

Government Reform Committee chair Tom Davis (R-Va.) and ranking minority member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), signed the letter, as did Judiciary Committee chair F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wisc.) and ranking minority member John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.)

The other signers are:

William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.)
John Larson (D-Conn.)
Doug Ose (R-Calif.)
Todd Russell Platts (R-Pa.)
Adam Putnam (R-Fla.)
Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)
Robert Scott (D-Va.)
Christopher Shays (R-Conn.)
Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio)

E-voting probe wanted