E-Voting: Will Your Vote Count? - ' Fixing the Hole in '

Cost is perhaps the biggest reason why e-voting systems should be left alone, says Carnegie Mellon's Shamos. Since much of the HAVA funds have already been spent, there is little money left to make the systems more secure. And, he says, "the public doesn't want to pay for voting machines. If you ask people if they want a secure election, they say of course. But ask them to give up some of the highway or school budget to pay for it. It's not going to happen."

Norden disagrees. "There's nothing more fundamental to our democracy than making sure that votes are counted accurately. Choosing between schools and e-voting systems isn't a choice people should have to make," he says. At least 39 states agree with Norden, and they are beginning to scrutinize their e-voting processes, including how to instate audits and create a more thorough chain of custody. The EAC is putting together a series of guides to help election officials better manage their election processes.

There's still work to be done, EAC Chairman DeGregorio admits, but in the end, what's important is to instill trust among voters. "The election process is more transparent today than ever before. Officials are opening up the process to instill greater trust and confidence."

Rubin of Johns Hopkins agrees that open processes are the key. "We want election technology that's so transparent you can have the most corrupt people in charge and still have fair elections," he says.

Of course, honest officials would be even better.