Most voters will cast ballots on the same machines they did in 2000, and even in those areas with new voting technology, critics fear the new machines could be worse.

"The woods aren't any drier than they were four years ago, but a lot more people have matches," said the director of Electionline.org, a group devoted to gathering and sharing information on voting changes. Doug Chapin was attending the National Conference of State Legislatures in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.

Chapin said Americans can count on more problems in November. The question, he says, is whether the "furor will help find the solution or muddy the waters."

In 2002, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act to prop up confidence in voting systems. It provided money to replace punch-card machines - which played a lead role in Florida's chad turmoil - established guidelines to help disabled voters cast secret ballots and mandated statewide voter databases.

In response, Georgia, Maryland and other states turned to touch-screen voting equipment.

But the machines have been ridiculed by scores of computer scientists who worry there will be no way to see if a vote was recorded as cast.

Utah officials are accepting bids for new voting technology, which is expected to be in place next year.

Arguments against high-tech voting have caused "fear, uncertainty and doubt," according to Glenn Newkirk, president of InfoSentry Services, a consulting firm that surveyed voters nationwide and published results showing sliding levels of trust in voting systems.

Newkirk says it's hard to tell whether this year will be worse than 2000, but there will be increased scrutiny. "The possibility for, I would call it confusion, is greater this time."

Newkirk told legislators there have been no reported problems with hacking into the touch-screen voting systems, recounts that couldn't be conducted or malicious programming that has been detected.

He said critics are essentially fear-mongering, using a "Well, gee, look under your bed at night. There's a communist in every closet" mantra.

Pam Smith - a national coordinator with Verifiedvoting.org, which lobbies for a paper record of each vote to be included in any technology change - says Americans should be concerned with changes in voting devices.

She cited a recent situation in San Diego where touch-screen voting machines wouldn't boot up on time and voters were turned away from the polls.

Such problems may only be "glitches," Smith said. "But, remember, a glitch basically means it's not working the way it should be."

No matter what happens in November, everyone will have a close eye on Florida.

Florida Rep. Dennis Ross says he's not sure how it will turn out, but he cautions the problem will not be restricted to his state.

"Those states who have not heeded the warning of the Florida debacle, very well may magnify the problems," Ross said.

tburr@sltrib.com