The recommendation for a paper ballot mandate reflects the overwhelming evidence across the country that electronic voting machines are unreliable and insecure for the counting and recording of votes. Voter Action urges that the Colorado legislature adopt this recommendation with an amendment requiring that this mandate become effective for the 2010 elections.

A panel charged with fixing Colorado's election system voted Tuesday to support a recommendation requiring the state to hold all-paper-ballot elections starting in 2014, but one commission member compared the recommendation to being held hostage.

Efforts to ensure that all of New Jersey's voting machines produce a paper record of votes generated responses ranging from "too expensive" to "don't fix what ain't broken" last week as the issue played out at polling places, in court, and at the Statehouse.

Dan Wallach, associate professor of computer science at Rice University, also recommended that Colorado use paper ballots counted on scanning machines.
"Hand-marked paper ballots that are machine-scanned are the best technology that's on the market today," Wallach testified at the state Election Reform Commission meeting at the state Capitol.

Rice University professor Dan Wallach, a nationally recognized voting-machine expert, said paper ballots counted by scanning machines are much more resistant to widespread election fraud.
"In terms of the systems that are available today, hand-marked paper ballots counted by scanners are the best technology," Wallach said.