Diebold voting system impresses

However, state board won't certify machine for use unless company gets federal certification for it first

By Stephen Dyer  Akron Beacon Journal    07 April 2005

COLUMBUS - Diebold Inc. unveiled its new paper vote verification system before the Ohio Board of Voting Machine Examiners on Wednesday, and while the three-member panel didn't certify the product for use in this state, it did seem impressed with the results.

The company needs to get final federal certification for the system before the Ohio board will certify its use here. Diebold officials expect to receive that approval within a month, after which it will return to the state board for final approval. Wednesday's demonstration was the second the company has given to state officials. California officials saw the first demonstration a couple of weeks ago.

The new system essentially a thermal printer that attaches to the company's current AccuVote TSX touch-screen machine allows voters to see a paper printout of how they cast their votes for a particular election when they're done voting electronically. The system is designed to fulfill an Ohio requirement that a paper trail be generated by electronic voting machines.

Diebold machines have come under fire for lack of security and paper trails, which has led to conspiracy theories about the company's machines, especially given the Republican leanings of its top executives. Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Walden O'Dell was quoted last year saying that he was ``committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes'' to President Bush.

When asked why the company didn't produce a machine that could spit out a voter-verifiable paper trail earlier seemingly heading off the criticism Diebold's marketing director, Mark Radke, said the market didn't demand it until recently when states like Ohio and California started requiring the paper trails in their specifications.

The system works like this: The printer prints out how the voter cast his or her votes on a receipt tape, which the voter can then see through a hole in the top of the printer. A magnifying piece of plastic enlarges the tiny typeface on the printout.

Voters can't take the receipt with them. If the vote is accurate, it spools into a sealed take-up wheel. If it's not, the voter can go back into his or her electronic ballot and change a particular vote. Then a new receipt is generated showing the new vote results.

Diebold officials on Wednesday said the 290 feet of thermal paper will hold up for an entire election and shouldn't need to be changed. It took several minutes for one of the company's engineers to put in a new roll a delay Radke said would be remedied by the time the machine is in the field.

At least two board members asserted that the votes are already being accurately tabulated and the paper trail seems superfluous. One member Ray Butler of the Mahoning County Board of Elections even classified one state requirement as ``crazy'' because it forces so-called ballot ``headlines'' to be at least 25-point font or 9-point magnified to 25-point.

``It's OK now,'' said Geraldine Lewis, who is the chair of the state board and former head of the Portage County Board of Elections. ``We feel the votes are going to be counted, and counted correctly.''

As of now, Diebold and a competitor Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb. have received Ohio certification for optical-scan machines. These read sheets that voters fill out like a standardized test answer key. ES&S received certification from the board on six of its products Wednesday. However, it didn't get approved for its newest product an optical-scan voting machine that blackens in ovals even if the voter can't read or see. It does not tabulate any results, though.

ES&S officials, who took hours on their presentation, said their AutoMARK system is the best option for Ohioans because it assures that every voter, even blind or disabled ones, will cast exactly the same optical-scan ballots. A synthesized voice tells the voter who is on the ballot and who the voter's choices are. The voter picks them using a keypad the company says was developed based on feedback from the National Association for the Blind.

At stake is a share of the $106 million in federal money that's been set aside in this state for new voting machines.

ES&S officials said 45 counties have picked their system. Diebold didn't know a specific number, but Radke said it was significant. Summit County is one of five counties yet to decide, according to ES&S regional sales manager Todd C. Mullen.