Calif. Voices Diebold e-Voting Concerns

Often looked at with a suspicious eye from left-leaning groups for its pro-Republican executives and skewed campaign donations, and already being investigated elsewhere, Diebold was told Wednesday by the State of California that it could not certify the company's e-voting systems without further review.

This isn't the first problem for the polling machine manufacturer. Last week, Leon County, Fla. Officials dropped Diebold after it was discovered memory cards in the company's optical scan machines could be easily tampered with.

Furthermore, in its home state of North Carolina, an activist for fair elections is challenging the state's certification of Diebold voting machines with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Liberal groups criticize the company's electronic voting machines for a lack of a paper trail. The groups claim that without any kind of hard record, it could be next to impossible to discover fraudulent activity.

California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson sent a letter to David Byrd, Diebold vice president, on Tuesday alerting him to the State's decision. McPherson said that "unresolved significant security concerns" exist with the memory card in Diebold's machines. He also asked that the source code on the machines be federally reviewed.

"We strongly believe it is the duty and responsibility of the Secretary of
State and you to make certain that the ultimate users of your products – the voters of California – have a voting system that has been thoroughly and rigorously evaluated," McPherson wrote.

The certification of the machines would not proceed until these requests were met.

Byrd said in a statement that Diebold intended to comply with the state's request. However, it is unclear if the certification would be complete by the 2006 elections. A recent government study showed that most municipalities were not on track to have their systems secure and reliable by that time.