Optical scan voting machines offer paper ballots and a bit more security than touch screen voting machines. But a recent study of the memory cards for optical scanners used in Connecticut's machines have experts working for the State worried. Connecticut are using these optical scan machines despite well documented failures.

The memory cards hold the votes and are the chief security vulnerability in AccuVote Optical Scan voting machines. Yet, they fail routinely, and both the manufacturer, Diebold, and regional vendor, LHS Associates, have kept the problem quiet. But when the Secretary of State's voting machine security experts at the University of Connecticut tested the memory cards LHS programmed in 2007 they found high failure rates.

We found about 3.5% of the cards defective in that way, containing junk data being unusable. In the post election audit though the sample is smaller we found 8% of improperly formatted cards.

Alex Shvartsman, lead investigator, puts some perspective on the numbers.

"Suppose you used your credit card which is a similar card in size and out of 100 transactions four transactions would be declined because of a card malfunction. I mean I think that would be a terrible situation and people would rebel."

At the moment there is not much chance for a popular rebellion since many voters heading to the polls for super Tuesday have no idea that their voting machines are unreliable. Students at a Barack Obama rally at the University of Connecticut are excited about the upcoming election: "Have you ever heard of the Diebold AccuVote Optical Scan machine? No, no, no, (laughter).

But these students shuttered at the possibility of unreliable voting machines: "I would want to know who they have a contract with because for all I know they're gonna go in and take the machine and change the votes around."

The Secretary of State has dragged her feet on holding the vendor, LHS, accountable. But Deputy Secretary of State Lesley Mara suggested changes may need to be made prior to November: "I feel like we are building and have a system that is safe and secure and reliable especially when I compare it to how much progress other states have been able to make to date that use the same technology. I think that we are on the right track."

Still, a few days before the primary registrars like West Hartford's Eleanor Brazell were just sending failed memory cards back to the vendor without notifying officials: "All I can tell you is West Hartford had one card fail last time and one this time and they were returned and a new one was sent out which tested fine."

So the state may not know how many of the memory cards failed during the primary. But voting rights activists are hoping to use upcoming hearings with members of the State Legislature to try to fix this and other problems before November's Presidential Election.

Dori Smith is producer of the weekly program Talk Nation Radio heard on Pacifica Affiliate Stations, community radio and net radio stations in the US and Canada.