http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2452/By Joel Bleifuss
Concerned about reports of election fraud and vote suppression in the 2004 election, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, to examine the allegations. In September, the GAO released a report that found electronic voting systems "have caused local problems in federal elections--resulting in the loss or miscount of votes." In the 2004 general election, about 64 percent of voters cast ballots on one of two types of electronic voting systems: optical scan systems, which read marked paper ballots, and direct recording electronic systems (DRE), which have a touchscreen that voters use to make their choice.
The GAO highlights one major problem with electronic voting systems: They can be hacked because of woefully inadequate security systems.
The report notes, "Regarding key software components, several evaluations demonstrated that election management systems did not encrypt the data files containing cast votes (to protect them from being viewed or modified). ...If exploited, these weaknesses could damage the integrity of ballots, votes and voting system software by allowing unauthorized modifications."
The report goes on to say that flaws in electronic voting security protections "could allow unauthorized personnel to disrupt operations or modify data and programs that are critical to the accuracy and the integrity of the voting process."...
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