Instead New Hampshire chose to continue to rely on secret vote counting by machine, while at the same time relying completely on the integrity of the chain of custody of ballots stored out of sight for almost a week before they were brought back into public view in a different location.
In the absence of citizen-verified chain of custody in the week after the ballots were cast, the accuracy of the 2008 "recount" in New Hampshire will - to anyone familiar with even basic auditing principles - remain forever in doubt.
What I regret is that it did not have to be this way. I bet the good people I met on the New Hampshire State Subcommittee on Election Equipment last fall might very well feel the same way. And it could still be different in November - not just in New Hampshire, but in Minnesota where I live, and across the country. But will we demand citizen oversight of secret vote counting in time to make a difference? - Bruce O'Dell
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