Cleveland study questions accuracy of Diebold voting machines

Cuyahoga County, Ohio uses Diebold TS-X Accuvote Touchscreen voting machines - direct-recording electronic voting machines that do print a voter-verifiable paper ballot. A three-month independent review of Ohio's recent primary revealed that the paper ballots did not match the electronic results reported by the computers. Without voter-verified paper ballots these errors could never have been found.

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“(T)he election system, in its entirety, exhibits shortcomings with extremely serious consequences, especially in the event of a close election,” concludes the study, released yesterday by Election Science Institute of San Francisco, Calif., or ESI.

“These shortcomings merit urgent attention. Relying on this system in its present state should be viewed as a calculated risk,” the study said.

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The $300,000-plus study, paid for by Cuyahoga County, examined figures in the May 2 gubernatorial primary from 467 voting machines used at 50 polling locations in the county. It compared the four ways votes are recorded: a paper printout of the votes cast in each race, a summary of votes cast on that printout, a computer memory card and a separate electronic storage device in each unit.
Researchers found that the four sources did not always match. For example, a comparison of the electronic results with the paper totals showed discrepancies of more than 25 votes in 36 to 46 percent of the precincts -- some varied by more than 200 votes.

Still, the study concluded that its review showed the problems uncovered in Cuyahoga County are “systemic and therefore faced by other counties nationally and across Ohio.”

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“This is historic because the report gives us empirical evidence of faulty procedures that affect the integrity of our most Democratic process, which is voting,” said Jennifer Brunner, Democratic nominee for secretary of state. “It should give every voter pause and great concern.”

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