'Daily Voting News' For August 29, 2008
Last week Premier/Diebold admitted that their GEMS software used in as many as 34 states may have failed any number of times over the last 10 years. The admission comes from their actions in Ohio but no jurisdiction in any of the 33 other states can truly say they have not had the same problem but just never caught it.
Then this week the same company had to admit that their software used in Florida has more problems, on top of the earlier admission. We also learned that their high-speed optical scan machines failed in Sarasota Co. to a point where Premier/Diebold is loaning the county older machines in hopes of not having problems in November.
All of these problems are on the voting system that is presently awaiting EAC certification. All of these problems are forcing a change to that voting system. Now the vendors are working hard to lobby congress to force the EAC to go back to the old NASED type system. The vendors don't want the test labs to be forced to actually test their systems and report problems. The vendors want a rubber stamp.
In no other industry do the vendors have so much power over the process of testing and approval. They should never have that power when it comes to our elections. If they can't put out a product that they can stand-behind and be proud of then they need to get out of the business.
Have a safe and sane Labor Day weekend. (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
National: E-Vote Vendor Admits Decade of Flaws
http://www.miller-mccune.com/article/646
FL: Opinion - Meet the new flaws
More election system glitches shake voters' confidence
click here
FL: Brevard County - Our view: Fixing the snafu
Pressure is on Brevard elections chief to solve vote-counting problem
click here
FL: Editorial: Indian River County elections snafu troubling; further investigation needed
click here
FL: Indian River County - 'Human error' blamed for election double-count
click here
OH: Butler County - County joins voting machine lawsuit
click here
OH: Butler Co. joins voting-machine suit
click here
OH: Butler County - County joining Ohio suit over voting machines
click here
OH: Lucas County Board of Elections looks at new vote-count site
click here
OH: Mahoning County - No proof of black vote suppression in Y'town
click here