CARACAS, Venezuela, June 10 - Touch-screen voting machines, which have been plagued by security and reliability concerns in the United States, will be used in the recall vote on President Hugo Chávez, prompting his foes and foreign diplomats to contend that the left-leaning government may use the equipment to manipulate the vote.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/11/international/americas/11vene.html?pagewanted=all&position=

A new touch-screen system here, bought earlier this year by Mr. Chávez's government, uses voting machines made by the Smartmatic Corporation of Boca Raton, Fla., and software produced by a related company, the Bizta Corporation, also of Florida. Neither company has experience in an actual election.

Furthermore, the Venezuelan government's electoral council said it would not permit observers to run a simultaneous audit of the electronic vote counting during the Aug. 15 recall, as electoral experts in the United States said is common practice.

One solution, electoral and computer experts say, is the use of manual audits of the receipts the machines produce for every vote cast. "That is the most normal thing in an electoral process, and that they would deny it is absurd," said a diplomat in Caracas who has closely monitored elections here and in other Latin countries. "What serious electoral board would not permit an observation, as is done everywhere?"

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NYT article title: Election "Is in Dispute Even Before the Vote"
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/11/international/americas/11vene.html

Reason for dispute: touch-screen voting machines

Solution offered: "the use of manual audits of the receipts the machines produce for every vote cast. "That is the most normal thing in an electoral process, and that they would deny it is absurd," said a diplomat in Caracas who has closely monitored elections. "What serious electoral board would not permit an observation, as is done everywhere?"

"Mr. Rubin said it is crucial to ensure that the companies chosen to supply machines and software be experienced and have a proven track record, particularly in an election as important as Venezuela's."