Voters' rights groups say they are concerned that some Pennsylvanians will be unable to vote on Election Day if electronic voting machines break down.

The groups said this week they are pressing state officials to ensure that poll workers are trained to hand out emergency paper ballots while the machines get fixed.

They want the paper ballots to be distributed when at least half of a polling station's machines malfunction.

The groups, including Common Cause, Voter Action and the Advancement Project, say there were dozens of reports of inoperable machines in the April primary, but paper ballots were not always available.

In a statement, the Department of State said it is listening to the groups and considers the opportunity to vote a top priority.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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