What is the history of the electronic voting machine?

[bobbyboucher]

I am wondering how long ago that states started using these various types of electronic voting machines. Not only the paperless ones that seem to be more recent, but all the types that have been used.

I think that if we looked into what counties started using which machines, then compared the results from before and after, we might find a trend. Think about the state of Georgia and Diebold. First time out, they elect their first Repube govenor since reconstruction and unseat a Democratic Senator, both of whom led handily in pre-election polls.

Anyone think that we could find a pattern? I bet the devil is in the details.