Lever Voting Machines Suddenly Outlawed in Connecticut

Connecticut's 3,300 voting booths are in for a quick and drastic change. The state is being told to get rid of all lever voting machines by 2006.
Pulling that familiar lever could become a thing of the past. Connecticut must change to comply with the Help America Vote Act, which was created in the wake of the 2000 Bush/Gore presidential election. That means spending millions of dollars for new machines, but that's easier said than done.
"Never did we get any indication from the federal government that such a ruling would be made so close to the deadline," says Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz.
The surprise for Bysiewicz is how quickly that change could take place. The election assistance commission has ruled Connecticut's 3,300 lever machines may have to be replaced before the 2006 election, because the machines are not accessible to all voters. Local election leaders could be forced to use optical scan or touch screen devices.