The Integrity of the Ballot Box

After Florida's contested presidential election in 2000, Congress mandated a transition to electronic voting. In 2004, new technology caused confusion and controversy, as hundreds of different counties struggled with new machines and programs. Next month, some experts are saying, the electoral process will be more chaotic than ever. New technology means new opportunities for rigging the outcome, a tradition as old as democracy in America. Both Democrats and Republicans are braced for battle. But is partisanship as great a risk to an accurate vote count as incompetence and mismanagement?