This story in the Tri City Times (TN) reports on an elections system review undertaken by the Tennessee Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR). The Committee recommends:

• Use of VVPATs in Tennessee
• A pilot test of a full voting by mail system
• Strengthening auditing requirements and procedures

The memo referred to in the story can be read in full here (and the planning document is here.).

The recommendations appear to be based primarily on the results of a survey of county elections administrators in Tennessee. There are some interesting results in the survey (results are on pg 14-end).

Most county officials chose their voting system vendor on the basis of “simplicity” Opg. 17). 91% say they would choose the same vendor, if asked to do it again (pg. 14).

The biggest problem reported by officials: recruiting poll workers (pg. 15)

This may result in one of two of the most commonly suggested change in Tennessee’s election process–more absentee and early voting (to reduce pressures on election day). (The other change suggested by most officials was better tracking of UOCAVA voters, a heartening response, given the results of the recent EAC study.)