Audits to ensure all votes are counted

The paper receipts of electronic voting machines will be audited after every election to ensure all votes are counted.

The state elections office, which is under the supervision of Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, announced the new audit regulations Wednesday. The guidelines are only minimums, however, and individual county clerks can do more to guarantee accuracy.

The new regulations stipulate that at least 1 percent of the machines are audited, and in smaller races the number may be as high as 5 percent. Congressional races will be 3 percent.

When audited, the paper receipts that are supposed to be verified by voters will be checked against the results on the machine's memory card. The guidelines were established by an advisory committee that included county clerks, legislators and computer scientists from area universities.