Electronic Voting Woes

Premier Election Solutions’ Latest Battles

Election season will soon be upon us once again, and come November many of us will be using electronic voting machines manufactured by North Canton, Ohio-based Diebold’s (NYSE: DBD) electronic voting machines division, which is called Premier Election Solutions.

Then again, many of us might not.

States and counties across the country have been questioning the accuracy and reliability of electronic, touch-screen voting machines. Some have done away with the machines altogether, and others will be providing paper ballot options to voters who don’t feel comfortable with or trust the machines.

Consider what’s going on in Ohio. After alleged mishaps with electronic voting machines produced by Premier Election Solutions, including lost votes and printer malfunctions, northern Ohio’s Cuyahoga County stopped using these machines earlier this year. Premier Election Solutions filed a preemptive suit against the county and the state, seeking a statement from the court saying it had fulfilled its obligations. In August, Ohio’s Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner filed a counterclaim against Premier Election Solutions, alleging, among other things, breach of contract and breach of warranty for the malfunctioning machines.

Whether any of these machines will be used in Ohio for this fall’s election remains to be seen. And other states, including California and Florida, have also been re-evaluating the accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness of the voting machines they use and the way they use them.

All of this might spell trouble for Premier Election Solutions, which is one of the major providers of electronic voting machines in the country. And though it’s a relatively small division within the much larger Diebold, which also produces ATMs and security systems and software, the parent company itself might suffer some fall-out from ongoing issues with its subsidiary’s electronic voting machines.

There are a number of other voting machine companies that might be affected, as well, including Election Systems and Software, Advanced Voting Solutions, and Hart InterCivic, among others.

The issues with electronic voting machines have plagued them from their beginnings. Computer scientists and programmers were the among the first to point out that such machines are vulnerable to hacking, system errors, and voting fraud, and though the companies that manufacture them swear by their security systems, many analysts, election boards, and voters remain unconvinced.

Certainly, there hasn’t yet been an entirely foolproof method of voting. History has shown us that ballot boxes can be stuffed, and chads can hang.

But, it seems, electronic voting machines have a long way to go, as well.

Vivian Wagner
Anayst, Oxbury Research