On the clock

Secretary of State Nancy Worley a few months ago picked Diebold to set up Alabama's voter registration system despite a bipartisan committee's unanimous recommendations to the contrary. This week, with a Jan. 1 federal deadline approaching, she tossed out the plan due to a dispute over "whether the state would license software from Diebold or buy it," The Huntsville Times reports.

Worley offers assurances that the state still will meet the deadline, an outcome that would be much more certain if her office had a vendor finalized four months from the finish line.