Diebold Apologizes For Device Flaws

I've been called a conspiracy theorist because I don't entirely trust the idea of electronic voting. Systems can be easily hacked into, resulting in voter disenfranchisement. This is fact.

Then there's the partisan aspect. When Walden O'Dell, the CEO of the largest electronic voting machine manufacturer, Diebold, writes a fundrasing letter on behalf of President Bush saying he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year." some alarms should start going off in people's heads.

But alas, I'm a mere conspiracy nut Luddite....

Or am I? This is from the Tri-Valley Herald in the Bay Area of California:

It is an uncommon day when the nation's second-largest provider of voting systems concedes that its flagship products in California have significant security flaws and that it supplied hundreds of poorly designed electronic-voting devices that disenfranchised voters in the March presidential primary.

Diebold Election Services Inc. president Bob Urosevich admitted this and more, and apologized "for any embarrassment."

"We were caught. We apologize for that," Urosevich said of the mass failures of devices needed to call up digital ballots.

Here comes the kicker:

"We're sorry for the inconvenience of the voters," Urosevich said.

"Weren't they actually disenfranchised?" asked Tony Miller, chief counsel to the state's elections division.

After a moment, Urosevich agreed: "Yes, sir."

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go write a report on black helicopters...

UPDATE: California says "No" to voting machines

SACRAMENTO – California should ban the use of 15,000 touch-screen voting machines made by Diebold Election Systems from the Nov. 2 general election, an advisory panel to Secretary of State Kevin Shelley recommended Thursday.

By an 8-0 vote, the state's Voting Systems and Procedures Panel recommended that Shelley cease the use of the machines, saying that Texas-based Diebold has performed poorly in California and its machines malfunctioned in the state's March 2 primary election, turning away many voters in San Diego County.

I'm assuming that 8-0 vote didn't require the use of Diebold's flawless technology...

- posted by Brian @ 9:04 AM