A few weeks ago I noted on the list that the NY Times was reporting that Los Angeles would use paper ballots to vote in the 2004 presidential election. I heard from Conny McCormack, LA County's Registrar-Recorder that this reporting was inaccurate. In 2004, L.A. will used a "paper-based" system, with cards that can be optically scanned after being marked with a pen. The same system is expected to remain in place for absentee voting after 2004. The plan is to transition to touchscreen electronic voting after 2004, with experimental touchscreen voting available in 2004.