A suit demanding that touch-screen voting machines be made to produce paper records will not be heard until Oct. 18, a judge ruled Friday, raising doubts that any significant changes to the system used by about half of Florida's voters will happen before the election. The decision comes amid a flurry of suits leading up to the Nov. 2 election in Florida, the scene of the bitter 2000 presidential recount. Democrats, labor unions and a civil rights group have filed lawsuits related to the way Florida runs its elections. In Fort Lauderdale, U.S. District Judge James Cohn set the trial date for the touch-screen lawsuit filed by Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler. Because the trial will not begin until two weeks before Election Day, Wexler's attorney conceded Friday that touch-screen machines used in 15 counties, including the most populous ones, will not be fitted with printers even if the judge sides with the congressman. "It's probably too late now," said the attorney, Jeff Liggio. [more
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