By Kim Zetter,
Electronic voting machines have been the focus of much controversy the last few years. But another election technology
has received little scrutiny yet could create numerous problems and disenfranchise thousands of voters in November,
election experts say.
This year marks the first time that new, statewide, centralized voter-registration databases will be used in a federal
election in a number of states.
The databases were mandated in the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which required all election districts in a state or U.S. territory to consolidate their lists into a single database
electronically accessible to every election office in the state or territory.
But the databases, some created by the same companies that make electronic voting machines, aren't federally tested or
certified and some have been plagued by missed deadlines, rushed production schedules, cost overruns, security problems,
and design and reliability issues.
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