THIS is asstounding, from the article John linked to for MD (page 2)

"While Ehrlich and Duncan argue that paper ballots are more reliable than electronic touchscreen machines, some election experts argue the opposite is true.

"It's just astounding that there would be this widespread call for absentee ballots when we know that a higher percentage of them won't get counted, for whatever reason," said John Willis, former Maryland secretary of state and an acknowledged expert on Maryland elections.

"It's fear driving this," he said. "You are actually increasing the potential for challenges the more you use paper."

Willis said every study he has seen has shown that electronic machines such as those used in Maryland are more reliable and produce a more accurate count than paper ballots.

"The obsession with paper is leading us backward to problems we know have occurred in the past," he said.

GODDAMIDIOT!! I am so freaking mad! (John, I did forward parts of you post about who is minding the store in Maryland to WaPo (they haven't written back yet like they did with the BOE scrub). I think I'll add tsend this post as well - adding to the pile of crap coming from some hack "Maryland Voting Expert"