Miami Herald: U.S. panel probes voting machine firm

[eomer]

U.S. panel probes voting machine firm

A federal panel is looking at a South Florida firm that owns an electronic voting machines provider after concerns surfaced that it could be a tool of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The company denied the allegation.

BY ALFONSO CHARDY
[email protected]

A U.S. Treasury-led panel that investigates whether U.S. companies with ties to foreign investors compromise national security has contacted the Boca Raton parent company of a voting machine supplier whose top executives once had links to the Venezuelan government.

The company, Smartmatic, last year acquired Sequoia Voting Systems, a well-known supplier of electronic voting equipment in 16 states. Palm Beach and Hillsborough counties are among those that use Sequoia's electronic voting machines. Smartmatic was a partner in a consortium that supplied electronic voting machines used in the controversial referendum President Hugo Chávez won in 2004.

Sequoia has come under fire in Chicago, where glitches in voting tabulations in a recent election, coupled by the company's admission that its technology support staff is comprised of Venezuelan nationals, raised concern among some city council members who grilled the company's president, Jack Blaine.

-snip-

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15045146.htm

But, gosh, why would it matter who owns the company or what their political leanings are? How could it be a tool of anyone? After all, the machines have been tested and certified haven't they?
:sarcasm:

[rodeodance]

1. so---when the name of Chávez in linked to voting machines--THEN

the gov. gets concerned.

[Joanne98]

2. RW smoke screen. They have to PRETEND there's vote fraud on

both sides. We can assume that when the MSM is finally forced to report this story, they will report the RW accusations as well. There NOT TRUE but that won't matter. It will be "fair and balanced".
"You have Al Franken and we have Hitler".

[Benhurst]

3. Yeah, but it will be just fine if it turns out it is owned by an enemy

of Chavez and a friend of the Bush Crime Family.

[Febble]

4. Kick

(to get an interesting post to the top of the forum.)

It seems you have hit precisely the point. After all, no-one would have to question the political affiliations of the people who print paper ballots.

[Stevepol]

5. The Repubs are all over this Smartmatic thing. Now pay attention Dems!

If you had been even 1/100th as vigilant about the possibility of fraud in these machines as the Repubs are now, after they realized that Chavez might be rigging elections or hacking or whatnot, we would not now be in the fix we're in.

Watch how the Repubs react to this and take heed. Maybe in the future you can actually raise you tiny little voices about the loss of democracy in this country, a loss that you because of your lack of attention and common sense have allowed to happen.

I personally don't care which political party puts the heat on the electronic voting machine companies. Just do it. Put them on notice.