] On November 2, millions of Americans will vote on
] computers, many of which may be vulnerable to partisan
] hackers, disgruntled poll workers, or anyone else with a
] desire to alter the outcome of the election, writes
] Ronnie Dugger in the current issue of The Nation. "The
] result," he says, "could be the failure of an American
] presidential election and its collapse into suspicions,
] accusations and a civic fury that will make Florida 2000
] seem like a family spat in the kitchen."
]
]
] Dugger's detailed analysis of the problems of electronic
] voting and the potential for fraud and error would seem
] to be a crucial election story of 2004, full of the stuff
] journalists love -- hints of skullduggery, cronyism, and
] conflicts of interest. But, with a few exceptions, the
] advent of e-voting has remained an issue hovering
] persistently beneath the media's radar.
]
]
] The stories that have appeared largely have been local,
] piecemeal and rarely rise much beyond the "he said/she
] said" level of reporting. As a result, the public -- to
] the extent that it's even aware of the controversy -- is
] left to its own devices to figure out a complex issue,
] with considerable ramifications.

[ Hear hear. I memed the original Nation article this CJR piece references a few days ago. Both are worth reading. -k]