the buzz log

A massive number of new voters are expected at the polls on November 4. On that same day, many districts plan to roll out new ways of casting and recording ballots. Are U.S. polling stations ready for the party?

In a wave of articles climbing the Buzz charts, many experts say no. The New York Times reports that the perfect storm of fresh-faced vote casters and untested voting methods may produce "long lines, stressed-out poll workers, and late tallies on Election Day." 

Focusing on the ballot itself, USA Today describes a new study examining how "poorly designed ballots continue to plague U.S. elections." 2002 suffered from baffling paper ballots; 2004 was marked with absentee ballot nightmares; and 2006 languished with touch-screen troubles. Will 2008 be scarred by some new hanging-chad-like confusion?

Time.com brings it all together with its "Quotes of the Day" feature. Attorney Larry Norden scored the highlighted comment: "The bottom line is that new voters are more prone to mistakes caused by confusing ballots. We're expecting a lot of new voters in November." Gulp.