E-Voting Steals the Spotlight in 2004 Election Season; META Group Cites Breakdowns in Government Process Management, Immaturity of E-Voting Technology as Issues.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2004

As criticism mounts over the ineffectiveness of e-voting terminals, expected to be used by as many as 50 million Americans in the November election, META Group (NASD: METG) insists the mishaps are not entirely technology-centric. Instead, META Group maintains recent voting issues stem from a combination of immature voting solutions and lack of training regarding new voting processes.

"The federal government has turned to electronic voting machines in an effort to regain public confidence in the election process, allocating $4 billion to upgrade voting equipment after the 2000 election. Yet, the controversy over e-voting solutions has highlighted serious flaws in the automation of the voting process," said Amy Santenello, a senior research analyst at META Group. "Until proper training and processes are put in place, the only sure thing in the upcoming election season is that e-voting will remain controversial and continue to cast doubt on technology's ability to improve the democratic election process."

According to META Group, in addition to the widely reported security flaws and lack of paper trail provided by electronic voting machines, election boards have not adequately trained polling officials, most of whom are typically not employed by the government. In fact, early e-voting efforts were marred not only by technology issues, but by poll workers failing to understand how to operate the terminals and send voting results to the state election commission.

For example, in the San Diego March 2 primaries, more than half of the precincts opened late because poll workers were not adequately trained on the new voting machines, and there was no technical support -- either a dial-up help desk or on-site technicians -- to help polling officials when things went wrong.

Jurisdictions failed to learn from the early pioneers in e-voting that they cannot just throw technology at problems and expect them to be solved. Processes must be put in place to ensure a smooth transition to electronic systems.

About META Group

META Group is a leading provider of information technology research, advisory services, and strategic consulting. Delivering objective and actionable guidance, META Group's experienced analysts and consultants are trusted advisors to IT and business executives around the world. Our unique collaborative models and dedicated customer service help clients be more efficient, effective, and timely in their use of IT to achieve their business goals. Visit metagroup.com for more details on our high-value approach.