Looks like Allegheny Co. PA is going closed source (Sequoia) after all...

[Junkdrawer]

The only open source vendor (AccuPoll) has not submitted a final bid, so Allegheny County (includes Pittsburgh, PA) has to "choose" between Diebold, ES&S and Sequoia.

Talk about a Hobson's Choice.

No word as to why AccuPoll pulled out.

On Edit:

The source for the above was my wife who attended this morning's meeting. Final decision coming this Monday.

[RagingInMiami]

1. I thought Accupoll was something used by Diebold

[Junkdrawer]

2. Nope. They're a start-up company (and their website is down)...

They were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Perhaps they went belly-up. :shrug:

here's some links:

http://www.commongroundcommonsense.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t44510.html

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/7659/7685.html?1126038615

Company web site:

http://www.accupoll.com/

[RagingInMiami]

3. I was thinking of AccuVote

Which is one of the machines used by Diebold.

[OnTheOtherHand]

4. headed to bankruptcy, yeah

On January 27, 2006, the Board of Directors of the Company's wholly owned
subsidiary AccuPoll, Inc., a Delaware corporation, resolved that it is in the
best interests of AccuPoll, Inc. to file a voluntary petition in the United
States Bankruptcy Court pursuant to Chapter 7 of Title 11 of the United States
Code. On January 27, 2006 Dennis Vadura was elected Chief Reorganization Officer
and was authorized and directed to execute and deliver all documents necessary
to perfect the filing of a voluntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy case on behalf of
AccuPoll, Inc.

http://money.cnn.com/quote/sec/sec.html?symb=accupoll&sid=1152901&guid=4158951

Chapter 7 is a wipeout -- total liquidation. Stock becomes worthless.

[Junkdrawer]

5. At the Feb 7, 2006 meeting, they were there and said that while...

they had financial difficulties, if Allegheny Co. went with them, they would instantly become viable. Their chief investor was there to backup that pledge.

On Edit:
Diebold's bid was VERY low, so they might not be viable trying to match that bid. They also had problems getting their paper trail approved (assuming state law is changed to allow a VVPAT)

[Wilms]

6. I think Demdonkey said that PA's SoS didn't like the Accupoll VVPAT.

Something like the voter could walk-off with it and "sell" their vote.

I wondered if they could fashion a lock-box, but that might not be too easy.

[Junkdrawer]

7. Actually, they promised a bar code reader on a lockbox...

and that your vote would not count unless you scanned it and dropped into the lockbox. That way, it would be impossible to walk out with a live vote.

The above scheme was conditionally approved, but had yet to be developed - the company president thought it could be done in a matter of hours once approval was received.

[Wilms]

8. So is it that it is taking a while longer, or more $ to develop? n/t

[Junkdrawer]

9. ...or (more likely) the low-ball Diebold price has made it impossible...

for even a 'Yes' from Allegheny County to generate enough money to save the company.

My guess is that the quasi-Open-Source AccuPoll company is now history.

BTW: By quasi-Open-Source, I mean that AccuPoll has offered to make its source code available to any legitimate party. Not quite real Open Source, but far better than its competitors.

[Wilms]

10. That's too bad.

I read that AccuPoll letter to VR.

Curious to me about that letter is his suggestion that a number of the VR requirements were out of the hand's of vendors and more the domain of BoE's.

It would be cool if election officials signed the VR pledge.