BBV : Diebold lobbyist in Maryland has a connection to SAIC

[Carmerian]

dmr posted a link to this in a post over in LBN, but he forgot to put anything in the title referring to BBV or Diebold, so I'm reposting this over here. I certainly don't want this to slip away.



By David Nitkin
Sun Staff
Originally published September 26, 2003, 9:28 PM EDT

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. asked the State Ethics Commission Friday to examine the relationships of a well-known Annapolis lobbyist after learning that he represents competing interests in the debate over whether Maryland should buy costly new touch-screen voting machines.

Top Ehrlich aides said they did not learn until this week that Gilbert J. Genn, who was registered to lobby on behalf of Diebold Election Systems, the manufacturer of the electronic voting machines, was also authorized to represent Science Applications International Corp., hired by Ehrlich to determine whether the voting system is se cure enough to use.

"We did not know about his representation of both clients," said Henry Fawell, a spokesman for the governor. "We wish that that had been disclosed."

The ethics commission, Fawell said, could help resolve questions about whether Genn's dual roles constitute a conflict of interest that may have compromised the independence of the consultant's review, portions of which were released for the first time this week.

"We volunteered this information to the state ethics commission today so they can begin to answer those questions," Fawell said.

[Wonk]

1. LBN rules require using the actual article headline, but thanks for

the heads up.

LBN rules

[Carmerian]

3. Ah, I didn't think of that

Good point, Wonk. dmr did go back and modify it in a way that kept the story title and added the Diebold/SAIC link parenthetically.

[hedda_foil]

2. Interesting. Wonder who it was who suggested SAIC ...

And I wonder who unearthed this very interesting tidbit that may just undermine the SAIC whitewash.

[Gordon25]

4. "...may just...

...undermine? It destroys it.

Course there in truth wasn't much there to destroy. To examine DRE's in isolation from GEMS is like examining the part of a stethoscope placed against a patient's chest, and certifying it fit for use without ever testing out the ear pieces to make sure they are not clogged or disconnected.

All they did was say "this is what would constitute a secure environment in which security hole filled election software can be safely run." They didn't call for a voter verified paper ballot. Without it there is no such thing as a secure environment.

You can not hand count electrons.

Gordon25

[Carmerian]

5. Hey, I like that line!

"You can't hand-count electrons"

[punpirate]

7. Wasn't so much suggested...

... as they were readily available. SAIC already had an ongoing contract with the state of Maryland for security consulting, so they ready at hand.

Cheers.

[althecat]

6. This is very interesting indeed.... Could be Ehrlich is looking for an

...excuse to kick Diebold for six.

The most interesting aspect of this is not whether there was a conflict of interest in what he did but that Diebold and SAIC employ the same lobbyist. Speaks volumes...

[shirlden]

8. This deserves a kick

for the the day crew.

:kick:

[dusty64]

10. Why would he do that,

his "reelection" will probably depend on it. This whole thing stinks to the heavens, I can't believe it is even being allowed to happen. Is the whole country blind?

[althecat]

9. A couple more quotes that need exposure... this article is kinda funny..

.... snip....

James Browning, executive director of Common Cause/Maryland, said he uncovered Genn's connections when researching Diebold and SAIC weeks ago. Browning said he's troubled by the appearance of connections between the companies, but that their significance is "not clear-cut."

The research also revealed that Diebold and SAIC are members of the Information Technology Association of America's Information Security Committee, which according to a recent article in the Akron Beacon Journal has begun an effort to improve the public image of electronic voting.

He also learned that Bill Owens, a former SAIC president, sits on the board of VoteHere Inc., a company that competes with Diebold in the electronic-voting market.

"There are not many degrees of separation between these voting machine companies," Browning said. "There can be no virgin birth here. Only insiders will know how the software works."

.... snip....


*************
and
*************

.... snip....


Mark Radke, head of voting for Diebold, said Genn told several people in the company about his work for SAIC, and that Diebold also determined there was no conflict.

.... snip....

NO KIDDING MARK.... WE DIEBOLD KNEW OUR LOBBYIST HAD TIES TO THE COMPANY THAT WAS DOING THE WHITEWASH FOR US (becoz he told us) and WE DIEBOLD DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS.... AND SO WE DECIDED NOT TO BOTHER LETTING THE GOV. IN ON ALL THIS

.... snip....

Still, Browning of Common Cause has concerns about the results of the study, particularly because three-quarters of it was taken out by the state, which pointed to security reasons.

"I'm more concerned about the material not released in the SAIC report," he said. "The report looks like one of those old Mad Libs - insert your word here. Either we should get the information or the reasons why it was withheld."

State officials say they withheld the information to avoid providing a "road map" for hackers to disrupt election results.

.... snip....

I reckon this browning cat is reading DU!!!!