imported post
I don't know what good giving voters receipts would do. Imagine the scenario:
A race is too close to call and there's a call for a recount. So what now? You going to recall every single voter to show up again at the polls with their receipts in hand? How do you account for those who can't show up again or who lost the receipt (which would be most of them)?
A better idea would be a paper ballot punched by the machine and kept by the election people in case of a manual recount. That way the machines speed up counting and the ballot is only a backup.
In my opinion the machines are dangerous in any case because they add complexity to the process and require specialists (software writers and technicians) to be properly understood, set up, and maintained. They are therefore also a waste of money.
With paper ballots anyone of average intelligence understands them and can count them. They are not foolproof but they are simpler. They also take longer to count, but not that long, and what's the hurry? The world won't end if you have to wait a few hours more before the first count comes in.
IMO Americans are infatuated with anything that looks or "smells" high-tech, but some things work better when they are simple and time-tested. It's the same reason I don't ever want my firearms to be more than rugged, simple mechanical devices. They don't need to be "smart" or "biometric" or Bluetooth compatible.