The U.S. Justice Department is taking aim at Connecticut's voting machines. The state is planning to use the decades-old mechanical machines again this fall because the plan to replace them fell apart last

Whether or not Connecticut can still use its 3,300 mechanical lever voting machines this fall is still in doubt after the U.S. Department of Justice sent a warning letter to state officials saying in part, "it remains doubtful ... that the lever machines, such as those that malfunctioned in Middletown, can ever satisfy the requirements of the (Help America Vote Act) statute....

"We propose an agreement ... to achieve replacement of the remaining lever machines in the state by the time of the general election in November."

Middletown had to have a second city council election last month because it was found that one machine failed to register votes for one candidate.

"There's no question that the Department of Justice wants to maintain pressure on Connecticut," says Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

The head of the association of registrars of voters says the message in the letter is clear.

"It very simply states, as best as I can read it, that the federal government wants the lever machines out of the polling places by next November, completely," says Richard Abbate.

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz says it would now be impossible to get new machines in place by the November election and that the feds are being vague.

"The Department of Justice talks about a November 2006 deadline, yet they have not answered the question as to whether or not we can use lever voting machines."

Bysiewicz just began the new process of requesting bids for new machines, known as a request for proposals, or RFP, after the previous process was found to be flawed.

"I've spoken to representatives from the voting machine companies that were part of the old RFP and companies that were not part of the RFP, but will be part of this one, and they indicated to me that they can meet the deadline," says Abbate.

Abbate, who is a republican, is expected to challenge Secretary Bysiewicz in the election this year.

The feds are sending two lawyers from the Department of Justice to Hartford Friday for a face-to-face negotiation over Connecticut's voting machines with Attorney General Blumenthal and Secretary Bysiewicz.