Nevada first to test paper-trail election machines

Nevada's upcoming primary election will mark the first use by a state of touch-screen voting machines that print paper receipts - and officials say the state's getting a lot of national attention as a result.

"Nevada has received national recognition and interest as a result of the decision to include a paper trail with our touch-screen systems," Secretary of State Dean Heller said Thursday.

Heller added that many election officials from other states want to see how the system works, so he's invited them to watch early voting Aug. 28, in advance of the Sept. 7 primary. He also invited members of the federal Election Assistance Commission.

Heller arranged with Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax to let the visiting officials tour the county's election center on Aug. 28 and see the Sequoia Voting Systems machines and printers in action during early voting.

In December, Heller decertified all punch-card voting machines and said touch-screen machines would be purchased from Sequoia. He also said all the machines had to include a voter-verifiable paper audit trail, or V-PAT, printer.

All Nevadans will be able to vote in the Sept. 7 primary and the Nov. 2 general election on the touch-screen machines that print paper receipts on a roll of paper attached to the left of the touch-screen terminal.