Originally from Dispute Resolution Journal

In the aftermath of the presidential election debacle in November 2000, President Bush signed the first significant federal legislation in American history investing in the election administration process. As a result, millions of Americans going to the polls in November 2004 are likely to encounter new voting technology. Almost 30% of the electorate will use touch-screen voting systems. However, recent  concerns have been raised about the security and reliability of these systems. With the presidential election just months away, this article addresses several of these concerns, since they may change the landscape of election disputes in 2004 and beyond.

For weeks following the presidential election in 2000—the first such election in the 21st century—the American public was inundated with pictures of poll workers in Florida trying to determine whether “chads” were pregnant, dimpled or hanging. The news was replete with stories of confusing butterfly ballots, antiquated voting machines, voters being turned away from polling sites, machine malfunctions and the like. Public officials around the country blamed inaccurate voter registration rolls, inferior equipment, perplexing ballot  designs, inadequate funds and an assortment of other problems for these difficulties.