Voting Systems in 2006 Mid-Term Elections

On Tuesday 7 November, Americans head to the polls for mid-term elections. A third of us will be using technology that is being deployed in a general election for the first time.

Federal elections are one of the few areas where Congress has historically bowed to the Constitutional division of federal and state powers: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people" (10th Amendment).

However, in 2002, Congress interjected the federal government into how states conduct federal elections when it passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA - Public Law 107-252). Among other things, HAVA provides funds for states to replace punch card voting systems and other resources for improving federal election administration.

What technologies are being used in your state? Who are the vendors? What are the risks?

• Voting Systems By State - 3 Nov 2006
• Status of eVoting - 1 Jan 2006
• Help American Vote Act
• Election Fraud
• Vendor: Diebold Election Systems