Looks like you can mess up voting even if there is a paper trail. These are paper votes that are electronically counted, so the problem was in the electronic processing, not the actual voting procedure. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3600391&thesection=news&thesubsection=general&thesecondsubsection=&reportid=1162640 Let me count the ways ... 14.10.2004 [...] An electronic processing and counting botch-up has left the results for seven city and district councils and 18 district health boards up in the air. Final results, due yesterday, have been delayed indefinitely. Mr Carter blamed the company Datamail, which was contracted by Electionz.com - the company hired by many councils to manage their elections - to count the votes from electronically scanned voting papers. [...] Peter.