But I have to ask, does it really mean anything.

State-sanctioned teams of computer hackers were able to break through the security of virtually every model of California's voting machines and change results or take control of some of the systems' electronic functions, according to a University of California study released Friday.

The researchers "were able to bypass physical and software security in every machine they tested,'' said Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who authorized the "top to bottom review" of every voting system certified by the state.

Neither Bowen nor the investigators were willing to say exactly how vulnerable California elections are to computer hackers, especially because the team of computer experts from the UC system had top-of-the-line security information plus more time and better access to the voting machines than would-be vote thieves likely would have.

Now what sort of information were these folks given?

"All information available to the secretary of state was made available to the testers,'' including operating manuals, software and source codes usually kept secret by the voting machine companies, said Matt Bishop, UC Davis computer science professor who led the "red team" hacking effort, said in his summary of the results.

Oh -- so the Secretary of State's office gave them the key to the lock and now loudly announces that the teams were able to open the front door. DUH!

Given unlimited access to the machines, unlimited information about them, and the latest in technological resources, a team of top researchers can break into the machines. But even the researchers recognize that their work does not mesh with real-world conditions.

And interestingly enough, the integrity of the computer code itself was found to be high, with no malicious software issues that could be used to alter the outcome of an election. So much for the claims of opponents of "black box voting" and screenwriters like those who produced Man of the Year.

The problem is, of course, that any system can be gamed. Considering the history of voting irregularities with paper ballots and computer punch cards, are the new electronic systems really any less secure? And while I would like to see a paper trail added to the electronic voting machines, I feel pretty secure about them.