The front page of today's New York Times features an article titled "Influx of Voters Expected to Test New Technology," which includes some original research conducted by staff here at FairVote. Our researchers are in the process of contacting local election officials to see if they have plans for the expected increase in voter participation this November. Results thus far have been mixed--most officials don't have written plans, but many large counties are taking past voter turnout and the increase in voter registration into account, which is a good thing. However, as I note in the article, many of these officials look at registration numbers several weeks before the voter registration deadline, which could cause long lines on Election Day.

The focus of the article is on the types of voting equipment states use, but the main issue our report will cover is how those machines are allocated in a fair way. I don't want one part of my quote to be misinterpreted. There are differences in voting equipment that matter greatly for counting ballots securely and transparently. What my comment is focused on is that whatever type of equipment is used this fall, we should make sure there are sufficient voting machines and poling places available to avoid people losing their vote due to long lines. You can see FairVote's position on voting equipment posted here.