California SoS refuses to certify Diebold machines

[robertarctor]

Haven't seen it hit the news, but I heard it from an extremely reliable source tonight.

[wli]

1. YES!!! boycott Diebold!!!

This is astoundingly great news!

[nicknameless]

2. Here's some info. from Kim Alexander's Weblog:

http://www.calvoter.org/news/blog/index.html

Excerpt:

Thursday, July 28, 2005
California Secretary of State rejects Diebold's application for certification of the TSx voting system
California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson yesterday sent a letter to Diebold Election Systems, Inc., informing the company that its application for certification of its TSx voting system, with the voter verified paper trail printer attachment, has been rejected.

The Secretary of State's office has tested TSx machines several times since May. The most recent test was held last week in Stockton, where nearly one hundred TSx machines with printer attachments were set up and voted on by dozens of people over the course of the day. It was the first "real world" test of electronic voting machines that has been held in California, or anywhere else in the country to my knowledge. The testing also consisted of using a "real world" ballot, the complex California primary ballot, rather than a simple, mock ballot featuring historic names as is often used during testing.

The Stockton testing session was held after earlier tests of the TSx machines by the Secretary of State's office went poorly. During testing in May, the TSx's printer had jams, which were explained by Diebold as resulting from the company supplying a prototype, rather than a production unit.

An excerpt from Secretary McPherson's July 27th letter to Diebold can be found at the link

[nicknameless]

3. What the heck, here's McPherson's letter excerpt too:

The Secretary of State, under Election Code Division 19, Chapter 3, Article 1 is entrusted with the responsibility to evaluate and certify voting systems for use in California. Specifically, EC 19205 stipulates:

The Secretary of State shall establish the specifications for and the regulations governing voting machines, voting devices, vote tabulating devices and any software used for each, including the programs and procedures for vote tabulating and testing. The criteria for establishing the specifications and regulations shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) The machine or device and its software shall be suitable for the purpose for which it is intended.
(b) The system shall preserve the secrecy of the ballot.
(c) The system shall be safe from fraud or manipulation.

In the course of testing your system, my staff has noted problems with paper jamming on the AccuView printer module. Additionally, my staff has noted an additional recurring problem with the AccuVote-TSX that freezes the ballot station and requires it to be rebooted. After extensive testing, these problems remain unresolved.

Therefore, I have determined that the AccuVote-TSX ballot station with AccuView Printer Module, as currently presented for certification, is not suitable for the purpose for which it is intended. Because of this, I must reject the application for approval of this voting system that was submitted last March.

[tmorelli415]

4. Yaho-o-o-o-o-o-o -o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oo-o-o!!!!!

I'd love to gather up all of those machines and push them off the deck of the GG Bridge, Santa Monica Pier, whatever... Maybe tie Arnold to one of them while we're at it...!

I hope this is true... it is incredible news! thanks for posting.

[Liberty Belle]

5. Diebold can reapply in 30 days.

Here's a link to an article: http://www.insidebayarea.com/dailyreview/localnews/ci_2898218

The SOS rejected the Diebold machines solely because of jamming problems in 10% of machines tested. Apparently he has no concerns over security issues or potential to rig elections.

Keep the pressure up, folks, and urge the SOS to reject all Diebold machines and other electronic voting systems by other vendors.


Paper ballots, hand counted, are the best way to prevent widespread election fraud.

[Carla in Ca]

6. DailyKos has the story, too

CALIFORNIA SAYS GOOD-BYE TO DIEBOLD

<http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/29/13646/9993>

Once in a while, we get to hear a little bit of electoral sanity. California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson has, after extensive testing, has kicked Diebold out of California.

RandyMI's diary :: ::

After possibly the most extensive testing ever on a voting system, California has rejected Diebold's flagship electronic voting machine because of printer jams and screen freezes, sending local elections officials scrambling for other means of voting.
"There was a failure rate of about 10 percent, and that's not good enough for the voters of California and not good enough for me," said Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.

If the machines had been used in an actual election, the result could have been frustrated poll workers and long lines for thousands of voters, said elections officials and voter advocates on Thursday.


Again, California could be a trendsetter.


Rejection of the TSx by California, the nation's largest voting system market, could influence local elections officials from Utah to Mississippi and Ohio, home of Diebold corporate headquarters, where dozens of counties are poised to purchase the latest Diebold touchscreen.

But here in the "Heartland of America", Ohio stays true to Diebold.


State elections officials in Ohio say they still have confidence in the machines.

"Absolutely," said Carlo LoParo, spokesman for the Ohio Secretary of State's Office.


I just love Red America, backwards and corrupt to the very end.

[msongs]

7. great news if true, here is how you can help with another way....

be sure and read our proposal for voter verified paper ballots in California, we are still trying to find some dem politicans interested in this, but no luck so far:

www.msongs.com/vvpb.htm

Msongs
www.msongs.com