US: Warning that public confidence in the US's election system is flagging, a commission headed by former president Jimmy Carter and former secretary of state James Baker has called for changes in how Americans vote, including photo IDs for all voters, verifiable paper trails for electronic voting machines and impartial administration of elections.
Federal legislation enacted in 2002 grew out of the disputed election of 2000. But the Carter-Baker commission said that, even with some important changes in place, the 2004 election was marred by many of the same errors as the 2000 election.
Disputes over the counting of provisional ballots, the accuracy of registration lists, long queues at some polling places, timely administration of absentee ballots and questions about the security of some e-voting machines tarnished the 2004 elections.
The Florida recount in 2000, with its images of "hanging chads", spurred the shift to electronic ballots. But flaws in new computerised systems have led to doubts about their accuracy. The commission calls on Congress to require that all electronic machines include the capacity for a paper trail that voters can use to verify their vote.
The most controversial recommendation calls for all voters to produce a standard photo identification card before being allowed to vote. Critics say the requirement could intimidate or discourage some Americans, particularly the elderly, the poor and minorities, from participating in elections. The 2002 act required the use of provisional ballots for any eligible voter who shows up at a polling place but whose name is not on a registration list, but in the 2004 election Alaska counted 97 per cent of its provisional ballots and Delaware, 6 per cent. The group recommends states set uniform standards.