Sure, they can be made "secure", I didn't mean to imply they couldn't be, I was just pointing out that security isn't the problem. I appreciate the link to the Three Ballot systems entry, but even that article mentions the usability problems and doesn't address how it would be used electronically. It's a great concept, but impractical given the fact that in 2004 we had a wide spread problem with people getting just one ballot right. I would also like to point out that I don't have any problem with the people operating the machines, I have a problem with the companies that own and maintain those machines. It would be a fairly trivial process for them to commit election fraud without the operators knowing anything about it. The people I trust, but the machines I don't. Why? Because I know how easy it would be to manipulate the electronic results, especially on a large scale. Again, I want to point out that I'm not convinced this has happened, my tin foil hat is still in the closet, but I believe it is plausible enough that I don't currently feel comfortable with it.