Campaign Strengthens For a Voting Paper Trail

"Imagine what would happen if a similar undercount occurred in a swing-state election in the presidential contest and there was no independent means of verification," Feinstein said during a hearing on election administration this month. She asked government auditors to probe the Sarasota case.

Not everyone agrees paper trails are a panacea. Daniel Tokaji, assistant law professor at Ohio State University and associate director of its election-law program, said Holt's bill's focus on paper trails reflects a desire for a simple fix.

"It could well create more problems in terms of both creating post-election litigation and creating administrative problems in counting these paper strips," Tokaji said. "We know they can be compromised, torn, crumpled," and have printing problems, he said.

While Congress considers voting machine legislation, the Election Assistance Commission, the federal agency that helps states run elections, is taking a more direct role in testing the machines before they are used.

In the past, an association of state election directors had certified testing labs on a volunteer basis. That approach generated concerns that labs would use varying standards and would not be subject to sufficient oversight.

These concerns were heightened last month when it was revealed that a Colorado company had been temporarily banned from testing equipment, after authorities said it was failing to exercise proper quality control.

Now the Election Assistance Commission will certify labs in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

"It's the first time the federal government has ever been involved in testing voting equipment and, with NIST recommending their accreditation, that puts a more stringent position on the labs to meet all of the qualifications," said the chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, Donetta Davidson. "That definitely puts more credibility in the process."