The state Senate voted on Thursday to undo requirements of the Voter Confidence Act passed three years ago.
Supporters said the action will ensure that more accurate voting machines would be implemented across the state as the legislature reversed requirements approved three years ago.
“The strength of our political system lies in our citizens’ trust that their votes count,” Senator Roy Herron said. “Our current voting machines endanger that trust.”
House Bill 386 as approved by the Senate would delete the requirement for more secure voting machines with a verifiable paper trail. The touch-screen voting machine system used in many Tennessee counties has been called by experts as “the least secure voting system” in the country.
Numerous incidents of machine hacking and vote flipping by the machines have occurred throughout the country, officials said. In 2008, machines in Decatur County were reported to have changed votes in the presidential race.
Tennessee received $52 million from the federal government in 2003 for the sole purpose of making elections across the state more secure. Today, $37 million remains in the fund, and Herron has repeatedly fought for the state to cover any additional costs for the counties.
“The state should invest in the integrity of our ballot box and making sure our votes count through a verifiable paper trail,” Senator Herron said.