Calif. will require voting-machine receipts

el - As a precinct judge - its about time some state looked into the e-voting machines.

In a major victory for voting rights advocates, Secretary of State Kevin Shelley announced Friday that all electronic voting machines in California must provide paper receipts by 2006.

Shelley also introduced stricter requirements for testing and auditing of the software used to record and tabulate votes in the nation's most populous state.

California's reforms address concerns of computer scientists and voting rights advocates who have been warning that paperless voting systems are vulnerable to hackers, software bugs and mechanical breakdowns.

Earlier this month, a state agency began an investigation of uncertified software allegedly used in California's Oct. 7 gubernatorial recall election.