Ballot-box jitters

This election year brings plenty of anxiety for voters and pols alike. Top of mind for many is whether the Democrats will take control of Congress or if the Republicans will hang onto control.

Either way, the majority party will have a thin hold at best. It's an easy prediction that more contentious fights will play out on Capitol Hill. With them will come stalled legislation, continuing budget resolutions and more uncertainty. Just what we need, right?

In our election coverage package, we look at several issues at stake in this round, including the view from the Hill and from the gubernatorial races as well as the latest on electronic voting.

As Roseanne Gerin explains in her story on the national issues the IT industry is tracking, we can expect more legislation to tighten contracting rules as well as more scrutiny from Congress of how contractors operate. The prospect has many in the IT industry nervous.

On the state and local level, there are 36 gubernatorial races, and 10 states are assured of having new leadership. The changes could usher in a new era for contractors in that market, as many of the candidates are tech-savvy and come from the business world. Ethan Butterfield's story delves into these topics and how they will affect businesses in the state and local market.

Doug Beizer's story explores electronic voting and the uphill battle for acceptance it faces. There's not much money for new systems, and there's even less agreement on how to proceed.

As a former poll worker, I think the anxieties expressed by many about the security and accuracy of electronic voting systems says as much about the public's confidence in these machines as it does about any particular technology. The problems during this year's primaries don't bode well. The voting machine makers need to be more open about how their systems work. Otherwise, the road to restoring voter confidence will be long and arduous.