Voter group challenges Diebold voting machine sale

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - A voter advocacy organization asked the U.S. Justice Department Tuesday to undo the sale by Diebold Inc. of its voting machine business, saying the transaction promotes a monopoly.

Voter Action, based in Washington, D.C., said in a letter to the department's antitrust division that the transaction is a grab for market share. The sale creates monopoly power in violation of federal antitrust laws, the group said.

Diebold said in early September it would sell its Allen, Texas-based subsidiary Premier Election Solutions Inc. to its bigger competitor, Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb., for $5 million plus payments representing 70 percent of collections of the unit's accounts receivable as of Aug. 31.

"The ES&S/Premier acquisition is absolutely unique in its potential for disturbing U.S. election processes and results," Voter Action said.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20090929/D9B15NUG1.html

[tomm2thumbs]

1. If lottery machines are in every liquor store & track millions & leave a paper trail, why not votes?

most lotteries, if not all, are run by the States, are operated by folks without much education (on both sides of the counter), provide a paper trail, tabulate information instantly - and you can, at any time, take that paper ticket and scan it into the system YOURSELF and know your ticket was counted, win or lose.

Why is this voting system so complicated and the game being played so long?

Diebold = joke

[midnight]

4. That is the question and it should be the standard for all voting-leave a paper trail.

[Iowa]

2. OK, but the real issue is that we continue to tolerate a voting system with proprietary software...

[Wilms]

3. Close.

The real issue is that we continue to tolerate any voting system with proprietary software.

[ck4829]

5. This is the REAL vote fraud scandal going on. K&R.