PA: (Diebold's) Past Questioned - (But what about those other guys?)

[Wilms]

Voting machine firm's past questioned

County considers Diebold because it promises timely delivery

Sunday, February 05, 2006

By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

snip

Even some critics acknowledge that the extra attention isn't necessarily fair.

"Diebold is no worse than any of the others," said David L. Dill, a professor of computer science at Stanford University and founder of the Verified Voting Foundation. "I would be equally disappointed if Allegheny County and other counties bought another type of touch-screen."

Dr. Dill is one of a sizeable group of computer experts who have doubts about the reliability of touch-screen machines. They often prefer optical scanners, which use fill-in-the-blank ballots that resemble standardized tests and leave a lengthy paper trail.

snip

But, until this new generation of voting machines holds up in several elections, doubts will linger. There have been no reported instances of fraud. That doesn't comfort some people, like Verified Voting's Dr. Dill.

"It would be very, very hard to prove," he said of potential attempts to tamper with elections. "Every computer scientist I talk to reports a queasy feeling when voting on these machines."

snip

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06036/649814.stm

[demodonkey]

1. I am shocked and appalled that the P-G would run this FREE AD for Diebold!

Between this article and their editorial earlier this weekend, it is obvious that the the Post-Gazette is setting us up here; setting the stage for the Allegheny County Election Board to make the decision to go with Diebold by making Diebold OK in the minds of the public. This "fair and balanced" article about Diebold is all the more sad because Jerome Sherman has been very much onto this issue, and wrote many decent articles in the past giving local activists respect and credence. And the Post-Gazette is our "liberal" paper.

Please help us save Pittsburgh! Send everything you can about Diebold to Mr. Sherman and to the Post-Gazette editor.

Jerome L. Sherman can be reached at [e-mail]

Post-Gazette Letters to the Editor:
http://www.post-gazette.com/contact/comments_form.asp?ID=40

Post-Gazette "general news questions":
http://www.post-gazette.com/contact/comments_form.asp?ID=38

Link to thread with Friday's Editorial:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x411786

PLEASE HELP SAVE PITTSBURGH AND 20 NEARBY COUNTIES FROM GOING DIEBOLD! Send a message NOW. Pennsylvania has 21 electoral votes -- and Allegheny County is our second largest county. If Allegheny (plus 19 others) go for paperless Diebold, we are toast.

[kster]

2. kick..nt

[Stevepol]

3. K&R

[bostonbabs]

4. kick

[Amaryllis]

5. "misunderstanding, not attempt to deceive election officials"

"Mr. Bear said the company paid the money as a way of moving forward, and he described the use of uncertified software as a misunderstanding, not an attempt to deceive state officials."

use of uncertified software was only a misunderstanding. I feel better now.