California: 39 counties' vote systems in question

L.A.'s InkaVote method may be recertified, but others face starting from scratch with a primary election looming.
By Hector Becerra and Jordan Rau, (Los Angele Times, 2007-08-05)

County election officials scrambled on Saturday to develop contingency plans for the February presidential primary election after California's secretary of state imposed broad restrictions on electronic voting machines that she said are susceptible to hacking.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen decertified the voting machines used in 39 counties, including Los Angeles County's InkaVote system.

She said some of the systems could be recertified in time for the primary if new security upgrades are made.

L.A. County's system, with which voters use ink devices to mark ballots that are tabulated with a scanner, could be recertified by February. The county did not submit the system for an audit by Bowen's office, and that appears to be why it was decertified.

But Bowen's rules so strictly curtail the use of some machines that some counties on Saturday mulled a return to paper ballots for the February vote.

The rest of the story: The Los Angeles Times

The Franchise: Questions persist about California vote system review

Missed deadlines, miscommunication mar evaluation

By Kat Zambon (electionline.org)

In a 2006 election debate between incumbent California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson (R), and state Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey, the challenger said if elected she would “revisit systems that have been approved by the state and create stricter monitoring requirements.”

Now, six months into her term as secretary of state, Bowen is following through on her campaign promise with a top-to-bottom review of the state’s voting systems.

"The stakes are too high," Bowen said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "The voters need to feel confident that their votes are being counted."

However, questions remain about the implications of the results of those tests, which started in late May and are scheduled to end in late July. And since a recent move pushed the California state primary to the beginning of February, there is little time for error.

The rest of the story: Election Line Weekly (2007-07-12)

More on voting in California: Absentee voting, Voting system review, Voting changes , Right to vote