WI to require paper ballot, open-source voting systems

["Joe Pezzillo" <jpezzillo@xxxxxxxxx>]

Two articles, hot off the press (aka, Slashdot). -Joe

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http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=67579&ntpid=0
New law ensures voting paper trail
Machines must generate ballot

By Anita Weier
January 4, 2006

Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law today a bill that will require that  
touch screen voting machines produce a verifiable paper ballot.

The bill requires that if a municipality uses an electronic voting  
system that consists of a voting machine, the machine must generate a  
complete paper ballot showing all votes cast by each elector that is  
visually verifiable by the elector before he or she leaves the machine.

"This is important for democracy. Voters have to be able to trust  
that their votes are counted," Mike McCabe, executive director of the  
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said after the bill signing.

The bill, AB 627, also will ensure that reliable recounts can be  
done, added McCabe, whose organization lobbied for its enactment.

Doyle thanked Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Rep. Steve Freese, R- 
Dodgeville, who authored the bill, as well as co-sponsors Sen. Jeff  
Plale, D-South Milwaukee, and Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, for  
their work on the bill.





http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=2585

Electronic voting machines must be open-sourced

WTN News • Published 01/04/06

Madison, Wis. — Among the 15 bills governor Jim Doyle signed into law  
on Wednesday will require the software of touch-screen voting  
machines used in elections to be open-source.