According to a WSU statistician, Beth Clarkson, "My [Clarkson's] statistical analysis shows patterns indicative of vote manipulation in machines" by multiple parties. The laws in place make it difficult to audit the paper trail in order to establish if vote manipulation is occurring. What we're asking for here is both a preventative measure and also a way of introducing more checks and balances into the voting process via independent audits. This petition is as much about safe guarding democracy for residents of Kansas as anything.
You can find both Beth Clarkson's blog and data here (just go to "Voting Analysis"):
http://bethclarkson.com/