BBV - Diebold’s Secret Fears

[Wonk]

Lawyer memos warn that the voting-machine company may have violated state law
by Howard Blume and Robert Greene

Okay, it’s not a tale of that vaunted "vast right-wing conspiracy," but suddenly the case against Diebold’s electronic-voting machines is gaining momentum. On Thursday, an advisory panel for the secretary of state recommended ditching the machines for the November presidential elections.

That event was widely reported, including in Friday’s Los Angeles Times.

What wasn’t reported locally is Exhibit A, internal documents from lawyers for Texas-based Diebold Election Systems, Inc. In these documents, the attorneys concede that the company used uncertified voting machines during elections before January 28, 2004. The memos also state that such actions would violate both California election law and, by extension, Diebold’s $12.7 million contract with Alameda County. The memos don’t specify a particular election that was mishandled.

These Diebold memos (see links below) were unearthed by the Oakland Tribune and became the basis for a Tuesday story by reporter Ian Hoffman. "Yet despite warnings from the state’s chief elections officer," wrote Hoffman, "Diebold continued fielding poorly tested, faulty software and hardware in at least two of California’s largest urban counties during the Super Tuesday primary, when e-voting temporarily broke down and voters were turned away at the polls."

more...
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/04/22/news-exclusive.php

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. Get all the Memos here

http://home.comcast.net/~texex/ ...and I mean all of em.



try now

[BevHarris]

2. See, that link is dead, Andy

And let me tell you, this lawyer memo story really has legs. I keep seeing new reporters pick it up. It raises a lot of issues, fascinating issues about what the public has a right to know, and how devastating that information in the memos is to Diebold.

Hope you can get that link fixed. Or is it just me?

And hey. You have more than the Oakland Trib, but you don't have 'em all. :)

You don't have the one about the settlement Diebold did with a California university for selling it defective software. I never was too clear on what it was for; didn't appear to be ATMs or voting machines.

Bev

[Invalence1]

7. Linkfix

All you need to do is click on the link, then when the error page pops up, just press the right arrow key, then backspace over the "...and" part of the URL. Then hit "Enter". It'll take you to the page.

[RedEagle]

9. More defective software....

....that would imply a pattern, wouldn't it? A history, trail, precedent, similar behavior? :eyes:

[BevHarris]

10. Well sort of. But big companies do get litigated often

even if they aren't at fault. The thing settled out for -- I don't know, I seem to remember about $78,000. That would really be nuisance suit level, because it would cost more than that to litigate.

That document seemed unduly prejudicial, taken by itself. Now, if there were others like that...

Bev

[MuseRider]

3. Link not working out

Andy. This is what I get.

Page URL Not Found!!


The requested page does not exist on this server. The URL you typed or followed is either outdated or inaccurate.

I hope you are feeling OK.

[bpilgrim]

4. here ya go...

http://home.comcast.net/~texex/NewDieboldMemos.zip

peace

[Andy_Stephenson]

6. I called Rush...he is sending over some

oxycontin.

[MuseRider]

8. Pleasant dreams

then. See you around in a couple of days! Thanks.

[Andy_Stephenson]

5. Link fixed

http://home.comcast.net/~texex/