Voters are already experiencing problems in early voting: Canceled registrations, long lines and new voting machines.
On the Nov. 4 Election Day however the problems could intensify.
A recent study by the Pew Center shows that while there has been progress in voting technology and organization since the 2000 election, there are still hurdles to overcome. Chief among them is the amount of new voters that will be voting on Nov. 4.
“Many polling places will hit capacity and poll workers will be tested,” said Doug Chapin, director of electiononline.org in a prepared satatement. “Results from some counties could take longer than usual.”
Voting machines have also been changed several times since many voters went to cast their ballots. According to the Pew report, many machines bought as recently as six years ago have been replaced, especially in key states including Florida and California. Security was one of the reasons elections administrators and legislators decided to change machines.
Some states have also joined the bandwagon of offering voter-verified paper audit trails. Six states –South Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia, Delaware, Louisiana, and Maryland — use the system.
