In last year’s presidential election, as many as three million registered voters were not allowed to cast ballots and millions more chose not to because of extremely long lines and other frustrating obstacles. Ever since the 2000 election in Florida, the serious flaws in the voting system have been abundantly clear.

“The machines are large and heavy. They’re left in the polling places for a few days until a trucking company can pick them up,” Andrew W. Appel, a computer-science professor, testified. “Many of the polling sites are unlocked. Anyone … can open it up and replace the software inside with fraudulent software.”

At stake is whether more than 10,000 of the machines used throughout the state are accurate and reliable. If Superior Court Judge Linda R. Feinberg determines the machines are problematic, they could be decertified for use in New Jersey.

A few years back, in a high profile series of lawsuits, a lawyer representing some folks accused of drunk driving asked the manufacturer of a breathalyzer testing machine for access to the product's source code, so experts could review it to make sure it functioned properly. The company refused, citing trade secrets.

A Republican-controlled House subcommittee tabled most of the bills, which means they likely won't return in the six-week legislative session that started Wednesday. Similar bills have failed in past years.
Republicans argued that the 17 excuses people can use to cast an absentee ballot before an election already address the conflicts people may have.

This presidential race has generated a high level of excitement and today's election promises to have a record turnout of voters. This is a combination of a huge number of new voters, most registered by the Obama campaign and its allies, and predicted participation of 80-90% of all voters.

At least two Palo Pinto County residents say they experienced early voting problems when the touch-screen voting machines they used kept switching their straight-party vote from Democratic to Republican.

On Election Day, your line wraps around the block and looks to be a four-hour wait, while in other areas lines are nonexistent.
This ought to be a crime. It amounts to a "time-tax" on your right to vote, and some of your neighbors will undoubtedly give up and go home. This scenario raises three questions: Nationwide, will it discourage tens of thousands, or untold millions? Which presidential candidate and down-ballot candidates might benefit from this "tax"? And what can be done in the next few days?

"It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." -- Joseph Stalin

Three of four candidates for Bluffton Town Council also said they have heard complaints about the island election office from residents voting absentee in person.
The three candidates who said voters have contacted them about absentee voting problems -- Jeff Fulgham,
Normand "Gus" Thomas and incumbent Fred Hamilton -- said Tuesday that voters had been reporting problems since last week.