Sunday, October 22, 2006

Will Diebold Determine Elections?

With election day almost here, the spectre of tampered electronic voting machines looms on the horizon. Sure, media outlets are touting a more level playing field for Democrats against the Republicans for majority seats in U.S. politics, but will that bear fruit come election day? The last time we voted, we were offered paper ballots, and we used them instead.
Once again, I'm looking forward to the voter apathy that plagues our country's political process. It dampens the feelings of disappointment in a perennially low voter turnout.
And now, a message from its sponsor: "About Diebold Election Systems

Automobiles. The printing press. The personal computer. These milestones of progress improved society forever. Now it’s democracy’s turn.

Diebold Election Systems provides accurate vote counting, extremely reliable security, and accessibility for voters.

Over 130,000 Diebold electronic voting stations are being used in locations across the United States to assist voters in exercising their most fundamental constitutional right: the right to vote.

Every vote counts. Let’s count every vote. Choose Diebold Election Systems.

Diebold takes pride in our industry leading accessibility, security and accuracy.

Access for Voters
Diebold Election Systems provides accessibility and empowerment to the widest population of voters. Voters who are visually-impaired or non-readers, and those with unique accessibility requirements are empowered to vote with independence and privacy.

Industry Leading Security
The foundation of Diebold Election Systems’ security includes several layers of physical and digital safeguards and multiple audit trails including both digital and voter-verifiable paper audit trails.

Accurate and Reliable Results
Diebold Election Systems has several methods in place to ensure election accuracy. When a voter casts their ballot using the Diebold touch screen system, the ballot selections are immediately encrypted and stored in multiple locations within the voting station, providing security and reliable redundancy."

I wonder who stands to benefit from "reliable redundancy."

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