Reply #16: FL: Volusia vote machine woes outpace other counties

[MelissaB]

Volusia vote machine woes outpace other counties

By M.C. MOEWE
Staff Writer

DELAND -- This month's Volusia County election suffered at least four times the number of memory card failures due to Diebold Election Systems Inc. optical scan machines as other counties using the machines, an issue that has caused problems here since at least 2000.

On Friday, officials certified the results of the Nov. 7 general election, but Volusia County Chairman and Canvassing Board member Frank Bruno asked that the card failures be investigated.

Diebold spokesman David Bear said his company also plans to investigate the years-old memory card problem.

Elected officials emphasize that no votes have gone uncounted because of the faulty cards. But, those same officials admit that delays caused by the cards may have deterred voters, that the problem adds to the cost of elections and that faulty cards caused egregious errors in some elections.

Deanie Lowe, who was the Volusia County supervisor of elections for 12 years, said she sent problem cards to the company for analysis and in 2003 had Diebold officials come to Volusia to test the machines and the cards.

E-mails between county officials and the voting company during the past six years express confusion and in one instance describe how a troubled memory card caused votes to be lost, with the error being recognized after another issue forced a hand count.

Election watchdogs say the recent discovery that a single memory card could nefariously be used to alter election results adds more urgency to the situation.

During this month's election, 12 memory cards failed in Volusia County, compared to zero to three failures in some other counties that use the same machines. Volusia held a similar distinction during the November 2004 presidential elections, with 25 memory card failures, according to a Diebold e-mail.


Much more: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD04POL111806.htm