September 18, 2007 2:11 PM

Let's Get on With It!

Like it or not, electronic voting is now a reality in this country. In 2008, does the nation want to be holding its collective breath, hoping that there are no computer meltdowns or electronic malfunctions? Or do we want to be confident in the fact that there are safeguards in place everywhere, in all precincts, in all states, to ensure that our election is valid?

Congress now has the opportunity to pass The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007, a bill that takes common sense steps to address the vulnerabilities of electronic elections. The requirements are so basic that it is frankly shocking that they have not already been implemented as a matter of course. However, since March, the Holt Bill (as it is commonly known) has been delayed, picked to pieces, postponed and put off. If this bill is defeated, there will be no realistic chance to create a set of minimum federal standards for electronic voting machines before the next presidential elections. Are Americans willing to put up with another election fiasco?

Introduced by Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Tom Davis (R-VA), the Act requires that all voting machines, in all states, provide each voter with a paper record, giving voters a chance to verify that their votes are counted correctly. The paper receipts also provide necessary back-up in case there are problems with the electronic tallies or in case of a recount.

The second requirement mandates random audits comparing the paper records to the electronic records. This is simply good sense-a paper record is not worth the paper it's printed on if there are no audits to count them and catch discrepancies. Amazingly enough, most states do not have plans to conduct audits of their electronic voting machines, and many states that require paper records still do not compare them to electronic results.

The Act goes on to require other fundamental safeguards, such as a ban on wireless devices and components which are particularly vulnerable to manipulation-a recent report by the Brennan Center for Justice demonstrated that a person with something as common as a PDA device could send or receive signals from a voting machine and possibly tamper with the results. Despite these widely publicized vulnerabilities, a ban on wireless components has been adopted by only two states. Clearly, there is a need for the federal government to take action and ensure that all states are up to the same minimum standards.

The Holt Bill provides a minimum standard, and states themselves can then make their own additions and improvements. The important thing is that there will at least be a federally enforced minimum for integrity in an electronic election, whereas now there is none. Waiting until the bill is perfect is a sure way to make sure that the bill does not get passed at all. And without the Holt Bill, there is nothing to prevent 2008 from being another election embarrassment for the whole world to see.

If it does not pass, come 2008 Congress will have to explain why it has allowed yet another federal election to come and go without mandatory voter-verified paper records, and without widespread audits. It does not have to be this way. Congress has the chance, and the responsibility, to ensure the security and integrity of federal elections by passing the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 without delay.

Lawrence Norden is counsel in the Brennan Center's Democracy Program and the the project director for the Voting Technology Assessment Project.