DIEBOLD - Judge Declines Protection - N.C.

[RedOnce]

ABC News March 8, 2006
By GARY D. ROBERTSON

N.C. Judge Declines to Protect Voting Machine Maker Diebold Inc.; Vendor May Pull Out

RALEIGH, N.C. Nov 28, 2005 (AP)— One of the nation's leading suppliers of electronic voting machines may decide against selling new equipment in North Carolina after a judge declined Monday to protect it from criminal prosecution should it fail to disclose software code as required by state law.

Diebold Inc., which makes automated teller machines and security and voting equipment, is worried it could be charged with a felony if officials determine the company failed to make all of its code some of which is owned by third-party software firms, including Microsoft Corp. available for examination by election officials in case of a voting mishap.

The requirement is part of the minimum voting equipment standards approved by state lawmakers earlier this year following the loss of more than 4,400 electronic ballots in Carteret County during the November 2004 election. The lost votes threw at least one close statewide race into uncertainty for more than two months.

The State Board of Elections has told potential suppliers to provide code for all available software and explain why some is unavailable. That's not enough of an assurance for Diebold, which remains concerned about breaking a law that's punishable by a low-grade felony and a civil penalty of up to $100,000 per violation.

Diebold shares fell 71 cents, or 1.8 percent, to close at $38.93 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=1354047&page=1

[Erika]

1. This after W's bud sold the company

and promising W he would deliver Ohio in the last election. Which he did.

[aquart]

2. Awwww. They're worried about Microsoft.

They should be worried. Claiming a safe system based on frickin' Access??? The humiliation alone should kill them.

Well, perhaps they've improved it since then.

[Brundle_Fly]

3. very true... M$ anything in regards to security....

I would like to stay and chat but I have to run my

Norton Anti Virus
AdAware
Spybot
Spyware Defense
System Critical Updates
Firewall Update
Security Hole Fix
Norton Internet Worm Protection

and

MicroSoft Windows Defender

Oh wait, I use a mac. HA!

[ShockediSay]

4. Why don't they just use the same guys who do the state lotteries?

You get your ticket in hand, they know exactly who chose what and in my state they do it at least twice a week, down to the penny and the exact number of players with exactly the choices they made.