By Toby Harnden in Palm Beach Last Updated: 8:41PM BST 24 Oct 2008  Once again, Florida's Palm Beach County, which became infamous for its butterfly ballots and hanging chads eight years ago could be ground zero. One of the largest counties in the country - if it were a state it would be the 41st largest in terms of population - it is bracing itself for a million voters on November 4.  The problem is that an August election in Palm Beach to elect a county judge, in which some 100,000 people voted, is still in the balance after a series of foul-ups.  At one point, 3,478 votes were "lost" in a warehouse after a bag of ballots was discarded. Then it was discovered that high-speed ballot counting machines couldn't count ballots the same way twice. Two machines malfunction in a municipal election in June and 697 votes briefly went missing.  In 2000, George W. Bush won the state by just 537 votes.  As well as the difficulties at Palm Beach, authors of a report entitled "Is America Ready to Vote?", produced by government watchdog groups, concluded that 27 states had "inadequate" paper records of votes - a key factor in recounts.  The report's authors could be no more confident than stating that "most states and counties will not experience major voting system failures this election".  Brad Merriman, a Palm Beach County administrator brought in to supervise the election after the disastrous judicial race - the result of which is still being appealed in the courts - said he was praying there wouldn't be a recount.  "I'm not concerned about election day," he said.  "Election day is going to be OK. I'm concerned about the possibility of a recount because that takes the process to a whole different level. We did a recount with 100,000 people and it was tough. I can't imagine dealing with a million ballots."  After 2000, Palm Beach abandoned its notorious butterfly ballots, which confused some elderly Jewish voters who wanted to back Al Gore, the Democratic nominee, but mistakenly voted for the anti-Israel Pat Buchanan.  This meant there was no more need to try to divine the intent of voters by examining hanging, dimpled and pregnant chads using magnifying glasses.  In 2004, the county used a touch-screen system but Charlie Crist, the Florida governor, decreed that a paper trail was needed for 2008. This means that Palm Beach now has its third voting system in three elections for the White House.  This time, voters use a paper ballot to complete an arrow next to their preferred candidate.  The ballot then goes into a machine, which records it electronically.  Results are tabulated electronically unless there is a recount, when the paper ballots are counted by machine and then, in the case of rejected ballots, by humans.  A voter's intent is still the standard during a recount, meaning that if a person circled a candidate or put an x next to their name then the vote could count in a recount even though it would previously have been rejected by the machines. "It gets subjective," said Mr Merriman.  Thousands have jumped at the chance to vote early although those who thought they might beat the queues have found themselves facing five hour waits.  Early voters in Palm Beach were sceptical that everything would run smoothly. "In 2000, we were a joke in the eyes of the whole world," said Franklin Wiener, 81, who had just voted for Barack Obama.  "I voted for Gore in 2000. At least I think I did. I know there were friends of mine who voted for Pat Buchanan when they despised the man.  I'm hoping these scanning machines will make things better but I'm not holding my breath."  His wife Annette, 72, who had voted for John McCain because she thought Mr Obama was a socialist and anti-Israel, said she preferred the butterfly ballots. "I liked the way it was done before. You just pulled the lever down and you knew where you were."
Lost ballot papers, faulty electronic counting machines and election lawsuits    - not the famous Florida recount of 2000 but a local election still    unresolved after two months.