County should look at alternatives to Diebold

Oakland Tribune editorial, 03/27/04



Excerpt:



It appears that Alameda County residents are destined to cast their ballots Nov. 2 on Diebold Election Systems' heretofore unreliable touchscreen voting system, but that shouldn't preclude officials from considering what else might be available.



For if the touchscreens, encoders, software, hardware and other gizmos it takes to operate Diebold's system aren't nigh-on flawless, it may be time for the county to opt out of its $12.7 million purchase.



If Diebold's electronic child is not trouble-free by Nov. 2, there are an abundance of reasons why Alameda County should not hesitate to sever its relationship with the firm. Among them are the fact that the malfunctioning system caused voting problems at 200 precincts during the March 2 primary, that none of its equipment had been adequately tested or certified prior to the past three elections, and Diebold has been less than candid in its dealings with Alameda County and the press.