n the past year, concerns about the accuracy and integrity of computerized elections have entered the general consciousness and become accepted as serious. Issues that I addressed in the March 1, 2006, edition of the Spectator have since been written about in the national media, and the momentum has grown for legislative solutions to be found at the federal level. A new Congress is getting under way, and decisions will be made that will profoundly affect the way Americans cast and count their votes.

While computerized voting has been touted as a way to make elections easier and the results more reliable, an increasing number of voters, poll workers, and election officials have concluded that the process in 2006 was more difficult—not easier—and confidence in the tallies has been undermined. Many activists and legislators now question both the wisdom of relying on software to record votes, and the degree to which our elections depend on computerized voting systems and the manufacturers that sell them.

PRIMARY PROBLEMS—Throughout the 2006 primary season, state after state experienced problems stemming directly from computerized voting. Programming errors led to the wrong candidates being declared victorious; the delivery of uncertified software to the polls led to investigations and penalties in several states; machine failures led to long lines of frustrated voters; and malfunctioning electronic poll books created confusion.

In March, in Illinois, candidates from both parties challenged the results after a host of malfunctions occurred; these included a touch-screen voting machine that "blew up like an M80"; machines showing votes that hadn't been cast; and machines not working at all. In Cook County, final vote totals were delayed for over a week, leading officials to deny further payment to Sequoia Voting Systems, the vendor that had supplied their equipment.

In the Texas primaries, counties across the state became mired in programming problems, ballot issues, and administrative difficulties that led to delays in reporting and questions about the accuracy of the vote. Things got particularly bad in Tarrant County, where Hart Intercivic eSlate's voting machines mysteriously added over 100,000 votes to the total.

In Indiana, the delivery of uncertified software for the primaries led to investigations and fines being imposed on voting machine manufacturer Election Systems and Software (ES&S). The primary and subsequent run-off election in Arkansas was described by one election official as "a royal mess" that also led to an investigation of ES&S.

Memory card failures in the Diebold machines used in Ohio's primaries in May caused the process to decline into chaos. A report issued after the primary concluded that "relying on this [Diebold] system in its present state should be viewed as a calculated risk. . . . the outcome may be an acceptable election, but there is a heightened risk of unacceptable cost."

In September, problems with electronic poll books, and the failure of election officials to provide the "smart cards" required for voting on Diebold touch-screen systems, delayed the opening of many polling places in Maryland. Thousands were turned away or forced to vote provisionally on makeshift ballots, leading to several legal challenges.

While election train wrecks were occurring in state after state, a series of independent studies confirmed the security vulnerabilities of electronic voting. A widely reported study conducted by researchers at Princeton University showed that touch-screen voting machines made by one particular company could be hacked quickly and undetectably. A report prepared by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientists showed that even basic security features of another company's voting machine could also be compromised. And in September, an independ-ent review commissioned by the New York State Board of Elections showed that national testing laboratories had inadequately tested software found in as much as 90 percent of the machines that were used to count votes across the country.

AN ERROR-FILLED ELECTION—Predictions of a meltdown, in the weeks before the general election, drew considerable media attention. Many were understandably worried that America was voting on unreliable machines stuffed with undertested and error-prone software. While the direst of predictions were not realized on November 7, the range and severity of the problems that did occur are a clear indication that something must be done to ensure a solid outcome before the next federal election cycle begins.