Catch of the Day: Election Dysfunction by Choice

I didn't know this -- did you? Republican obstruction of yet another federal commission is preventing states from buying better voting machines, making long lines and other election administration failures more likely in 2014 and 2016. The Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan commission created after the 2000 presidential election to improve voting mechanics, hasn't updated its voting machine standards since 2005.

"Compliance is voluntary under federal law, but the vast majority of states require election officials to follow the EAC standards. The only approved voting machines were built in 2005 or earlier; imagine being stuck using a laptop that old, and you'll have an idea of what elections administrators are facing. The software is usually proprietary, meaning you can't just go online and get an update. If a machine breaks down, there's no easy fix; instead, it most likely has to be replaced -- and voting machines are not sold at Best Buy. The jurisdictions that need new equipment -- and could afford it without federal help -- are stuck choosing among machines that were designed a decade ago."