AP: Paper Ballots Blamed for Tally Delay (Diebold/Ohio)

[Eugene]

(Headline is misleading, but that's how the AP ran it.)

Paper Ballots Blamed for Tally Delay

The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 18, 2006; 4:20 PM

CLEVELAND -- Subtle variations on the paper ballots used in Cuyahoga County's May
primary election made them unreadable to optical scanners and caused lengthy delay
in tallying the county's votes, a review found.

It was the county's first election using Diebold Inc.'s touch-screen and optical-scan
voting systems.

SysTest Labs, a Denver-based company hired by the county to find the source of the
problem, determined that the ballots were similar to the format recommended by the
Ohio secretary of state's staff.

However, black lines separating sections were thicker than on the Cuyahoga County
ballots than on those used elsewhere in Ohio, where scanners could read the ballots
without problem, and the ovals where voters mark their choices had slightly different
locations.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071800998.html

...and Diebold didn't warn anyone that there could be a problem.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. So?

Who cares how long it takes as long as they all get counted.

You know it would be quicker and cheeper to do hand counts.

[partylessinOhio]

2. It was reported last evening that this hand count of the ballots cost

the BOE $100,000.

It was also revealed that the votes were transported from the polling places to downtown in taxis and many were not accompanied by any election official as required. Vu, head of BOE, said he was not aware of this and questioned if it was true. Taxi cab drivers were also interviewed on tape and confirmed the strangeness of being called to pickup customers and were only given the cases and no persons made the trip downtown.

[MissWaverly]

3. haven't they ever heard of U-Haul

does anyone thinks that its strange that unattended ballots are shipped off across town.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. $100,000 is a drop in the bucket

compared to what Diebold charges for electronic voting equipment.

I can't believe that the BOE didn't have provisions for transporting the machines and ballots to the main office. They are supposed to do that regardless of whether or not there's a recount.

[blm]

5. This is why I emphasize the DNC needs to round up all Dem BOE members

and give them serious training on all the tricks and unethical practices being used to suppress Dem votes and voters. They need to be schooled in how the machines can be manipulated and used for fraud.

I call for a one week training seminar for all Democratic members of every BOE across the country.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. You would think the Secretary of States

would be doing this sort of training automatically. The system has gotten so corrupted, no one even pretends to follow proper procedures and practices anymore.

[WhiteTara]

9. it would be great to have learning seminars

for citizen voting advocates, so they can know what to look for as well. Election fraud trumps get out the vote every time.

[w4rma]

10. YES! I agree, **wholehartedly**! (nt)

[Up2Late]

6. Who's Tally? I blame Texas for Delay!

:silly: Just kidding.

But Seriously, More bogus excuses, and they are getting sued by the patient holder anyway (check Brad Blog for more).

[annabanana]

8. HEY! Take your time... count it RIGHT!!. . . . . . .n/t