Security Concerns: Colorado Says No to Vote Counting Technology

Is there a time when the latest technology isn't a good thing?

The state of Colorado would say the answer is yes - sometimes technology is not a good thing. One of those times has to do with the process of counting votes in an election. Colorado has become the first state in the nation to stop counting ballots that use printed barcodes.

While some states are using voting machines that print out bar codes, Colorado is upgrading to software that prints out ballots with choices marked with darkened ovals, similar to a hand-marked ballot. It doesn't make the initial voting system unhackable, but it does provide a way to double-check a count with confidence and accuracy.

It's possible that other states will follow Colorado's lead, but like any other political matter, there is no clear consensus about which method is better or more reliable. Chances are we will never have every state doing things exactly the same way.

I doubt the average voter really cares about the technology as long as their vote is counted, and that it is counted accurately. And in the case of a close election where a recount is necessary, we just want the assurance that the votes are being tabulated as accurately as possible.

[CNN]