Voting machine firm's past questioned
County considers Diebold because it promises timely delivery
Sunday, February 05, 2006
By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Even some critics acknowledge that the extra attention isn't necessarily fair.
"Diebold is no worse than any of the others," said David L. Dill, a professor of computer science at Stanford University and founder of the Verified Voting Foundation. "I would be equally disappointed if Allegheny County and other counties bought another type of touch-screen."
Dr. Dill is one of a sizeable group of computer experts who have doubts about the reliability of touch-screen machines. They often prefer optical scanners, which use fill-in-the-blank ballots that resemble standardized tests and leave a lengthy paper trail.
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But, until this new generation of voting machines holds up in several elections, doubts will linger. There have been no reported instances of fraud. That doesn't comfort some people, like Verified Voting's Dr. Dill.
"It would be very, very hard to prove," he said of potential attempts to tamper with elections. "Every computer scientist I talk to reports a queasy feeling when voting on these machines."snip
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06036/649814.stm