In a mobile society, individuals readily move from a county where one type of system is used into a neighboring county where a completely different system is in operation. This lack of uniformity adds to voter confusion and ultimately may reduce voter participation. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that without statewide standards to assure uniformity in the counting of ballots, regardless of the counting system used, some voters could be disenfranchised in violation of the U.S. Constitution. While counting one vote in one jurisdiction, Florida s lack of standards allowed for a similarly cast vote to be rejected in a neighboring jurisdiction. Many new technologies have yet to be fully tested.
Serious questions remain regarding adequate safeguards against fraud.
The financial impact of upgrading existing, antiquated equipment with new, modern systems will be costly. These and many other questions will have to be resolved before we take the next step of identifying resources and investing capital in new systems. As leaders in our communities and government, we must take bold and immediate action to establish an election system that is both cost effective and takes advantage of the technological innovations of our age. If we begin now, we will ensure that Missouri will be a leader in providing its citizens with an election system that is convenient, accurate and secure. With the tremendous cost of replacing tabulation systems statewide, reasonable assurance must be given that the new system will remain functional and practical for decades to come.