News

Diebold fires back on '`bias' of e-voting critic

August 19, 2003

MCKINNEY, Texas -- Diebold Election Systems expressed "shock and disappointment" at recent admissions from Johns Hopkins associate professor Avi Rubin, co-author of a recent report claiming security flaws with Diebold Election Systems software, that Rubin held financial interest in and a board position at VoteHere Inc.

According to a news release issued by Diebold, Rubin revealed that, at the time he participated in the study, he held a financial interest and a position on the advisory board of VoteHere, a Diebold competitor in electronic-elections technology. See related story, "Researchers identify problems in electronic voting machines."

Rubin acknowledged that he is known in the field for his position "as a strong skeptic about whether there is any viability in [e-voting and is] known for suggesting that there are very difficult problems for any company to overcome."

The Diebold release said questions of bias in the Johns Hopkins study "must be considered."

Thomas Swidarski, president of Diebold Election Systems and senior vice president of strategic development and global marketing, said, "We remain confident in the integrity and security of our voting systems, and are committed to working with elections officials to deliver the most reliable products and services directed to protecting the democratic voting process."

During the November 2002 gubernatorial elections, more than 33,000 Diebold touchscreen systems were used throughout the United States.