Election technologies drives wedge between candidates for Secretary of State

ATLANTA - Secretary of State Cathy Cox says Georgia voters can see some of her best work when they cast their ballots on new voting machines. Her Republican opponent says the machines are a waste of money that will cause more problems than they will solve. <br> <br> The Secretary of State oversees licensing of various professions, protects state documents and monitors elections, but much of the campaign has been about the electronic voting machines that Cox pushed the Legislature to approve. <br> <br> Republican Charlie Bailey predicts problems with the machines on election day, much like those in some Florida counties during that state&#39;s primary last month. <br> <br> Cox contends the voting equipment is the only way for the state to ensure every vote is counted. <br> <br> In addition to the voting machines, Cox has put campaign disclosure reports on the Internet and expanded the agency&#39;s license suspension program, which requires deadbeat parents to pay child support and now includes those who default on their student loans. <br> <br> Libertarian candidate 29-year-old Michael Pitts said he will work toward making ballot access easier for third parties and eliminating laws that ban beer sales on Sunday. <br> <br> In his 1996 bid for Secretary of State, Bailey won only 12.4 percent of the Republican vote in a four-way primary. In 1998, he won just 40 percent in a two-way race. <br> <br> Still, Bailey remains optimistic and says his age and experience make him the better person for the position. <br> <br> When Cox first ran for the office in 1998, the south Georgia native had already served two terms in the state House and three as the assistant secretary of state.