States struggle w/election reform|Officials air doubts as deadlines loom

[Freddie Stubbs]

By Robert Tanner, Associated Press | February 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Flaw-proof election machines. Easy-to-read ballots. Registration systems that catch double-voters or dead voters still on the rolls.

For top state election officials meeting in Washington, the pressure is on to ensure that the election changes demanded after President Bush's disputed 2000 victory are in place by the Jan. 1 deadline imposed by Congress.

The goal is to have the changes ready for the November 2006 midterm elections, but many secretaries of state who gathered in Washington yesterday for four days of meetings say there are too many obstacles in their way. And they worry that the federal government is undermining their authority with an assistance commission that is starting to act like a regulatory agency.

''A lot of states are still trying to sort out how to get to the deadlines," said Rebecca Vigil-Giron, New Mexico's secretary of state. ''That's a major, major challenge. We're probably a year behind schedule."

more: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2005/02/08/states_struggle_with_election_reform/