Democrats and Republicans in the US House of Representatives agreed today on a compromise that will push through a bill banning paperless voting machines and requiring a voter-verified paper record for every vote in the country, after government sanctioned hackers showed how they could break into all three of the top voting systems used in California.

The agreement by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey will advance H.R. 811, the "Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007," (H.R. 811) which amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require a voter-verified permanent paper ballot.

"Today's announcement gives Americans renewed hope that Congress will soon put an end to unaccountable, unverifiable, and inaccessible voting," said Ralph G. Neas, president of the advocacy group People For the American Way. "Millions of voters were disenfranchised in recent elections, and millions of others have wondered if their votes were correctly counted. That is intolerable. Given how much is at stake in the coming elections, passing this legislation should be the nation's top domestic legislative priority."

The amendment ensures that by the 2008 presidential elections there will be a paper record for all votes cast in federal elections, and makes the paper ballot the ballot of record for purposes of a recount and puts in place a system of mandatory random audits.

On technical aspects, the bill prohibits wireless devices in voting machines, and makes voting system source code subject to examination should discrepancies arise.

The agreement obligates the provision for emergency paper ballots should voting machines break down or fail in any way, mandates upgrades to provide durable paper records and enhanced accessible technology by 2012.