California Rejects Diebold Certification

As reported in the Oakland Tribune:

Article Last Updated: 07/29/2005 09:27:14 AM

E-voting machines rejected

State says Diebold failures in massive mock election could translate to problems at polls

By Ian Hoffman, STAFF WRITER

After possibly the most extensive testing ever on a voting system, California has rejected Diebold's flagship electronic voting machine because of printer jams and screen freezes, sending local elections officials scrambling for other means of voting.

"There was a failure rate of about 10 percent, and that's not good enough for the voters of California and not good enough for me," Secretary of State Bruce McPherson said.

If the machines had been used in an election, the result could have been frustration for poll workers and long lines for thousands of voters, elections officials and voter advocates said Thursday.

"We certainly can't take any kind of risk like that with this kind of device on California voters," McPherson said.

Rejection of the TSx by California, the nation's largest voting-system market, could influence local elections officials from Utah, Mississippi and Ohio, home of Diebold corporate headquarters, where dozens of counties are poised to purchase the latest Diebold touch screens. State elections officials in Ohio say they still have confidence in the machines.

Every little win is like a grand-slam-dunk. Meanwhile, on what basis does Ohio maintain its confidence?