Ohio Halts E-Voting Machines

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2003 11:59:14 -0500 (EST)
From: Freematt357 () aol com
Subject: Ohio Halts E-Voting Machines
To: dave () farber net

Ohio Halts E-Voting Machines

Associated Press

Story location: 
<http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61467,00.html>http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,61467,00.html

06:22 PM Dec. 03, 2003 PT

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The state's top elections official said Tuesday that 
security problems found in new touch-screen voting systems mean they won't 
be in place statewide in time for the November 2004 presidential election.

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell said some of the new voting machines 
would be installed in August, some in November and the rest in 2005.

That means some of Ohio's 88 counties still will be using punch-card 
systems for the 2004 election. Problems with punch cards in Florida left 
the outcome of the 2000 presidential race in doubt for more than a month.

The four electronic touch-screen systems must be proven secure before Ohio 
voters use them, Blackwell said. His office will work with the 
manufacturers to ensure the problems are corrected, he said.

Ohio and much of the rest of the nation are upgrading voting equipment 
under legislation passed by Congress after the 2000 election.

The state must ask the Federal Election Commission for an extension in 
complying with the law, Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said.

Companies that tested the security systems of the four machine types found 
software that permits votes to be counted more than once, and a risk that 
unauthorized poll workers or others could gain access to the system.

Identical passwords were discovered for more than one poll worker, while 
voting booth cases did not provide for locks, leaving a risk of tampering 
during transportation of ballots.

Each of the voting systems provided by the four vendors -- Diebold Election 
Systems, Sequoia Voting Systems, Election Systems & Software and 
Maximus/Hart Intercivic/DFM Associates -- has multiple but not identical 
problems, Blackwell said.

Mark Radke, a Diebold executive, said the company already had fixed 
problems in machines used in municipal elections in Maryland.

"These software enhancements will be implemented in all touch-screen units 
deployed within Ohio and the process-related questions are addressed in the 
Diebold Election Systems training manuals," Radke said.


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