The acronym, HAVA, stands for the Help America Vote Act and was signed as a law in 2002. This was enacted as a safeguard to the election process and one of the key components is a goal that states the old punch card voting system will be done away with and replaced. The overwhelming push is to replace them with some sort of electronic voting machine. Everyone in the country will surely remember the furor that erupted over the more than 2,000,000 paper ballots being set aside. These were supposed to be votes from the American public, and for various discrepancies, they were not allowed into the final vote tallies. This voting debacle decided a presidency. Of course the end result was not leveled at how the process was handled or whether the voters were confused or not. It seemed more prudent to lay the blame on the paper process and seek to hide the true controversy.

HAVA has specific provisions that would regulate the new election technology as it comes into play. The act seeks to have all paper ballots and lever systems switched over to electronic voting methods and these machines would all be subjected to independent testing, verification and certification before any election use. These machines are found in voting arenas today and they still do not fit the category of quality that HAVA is requesiting.

There must be paper trails and a way to duly audit the actual votes cast. The software must be bulletproof and independent in design. The government will be able to guarantee the security of the entire electronic registration and voting process. This is one part of HAVA that concerns many voters. They simply will not fall behind electronic voting that easily. There are many electronic voting machines in use now and their use is not as safe and controlled as some would like.

The HAVA act is to provide accessibility of citizens with disabilities, including the visually impaired. Computerized state lists of verifiable and qualified registered voters are to be available. HAVA has set particular requirements for voters who are registering by mail. There are stipulations to allow for provisional votes to be cast by those whose eligibility at the polling station may be in question. There is also a set system of voting standards.

The most confusing of HAVA propositions are the one that are calling for the changeover to a completely automated electronic system of voting. There are numerous machines of this type scattered throughout the nation now and there are varying levels of problems and a certain amount of anger and criticism at each one. How is it hoped to be able to have a completely secure voting process when you are using the one piece of machinery that has shown great susceptibility in the past to breakdowns, security breaches and will surely cause great confusion to the voting public.

It already appears that HAVA has succeeded in confusing the entire voting process for many American people and the system has definitely become more entangled and disjointed. Millions are being spent in rulings over more ways to identify voters and at present Sequoia Voting Systems and Premier Election Solutions are continuing to make millions from selling their certifiably deficient voting machines to the government. Did we lose something in the translation of what HAVA was supposed to enforce in regards to electronic voting machines?