Please post evidence of influence-purchasing efforts of voting machine companies

[Fly by night]

Here in the Orange State, we have just established an ethics commission to oversee the actions of our state government. (Perhaprs the indictments and convictions of a handful of sitting legislators had something to do with this.) Our election reform group, Gathering To Save Our Democracy, would like to meet with this commission to discuss how improper influence has continually been brought to bear to get our State Election Coordinator, Brook Thompson, to push DREs down our throats. We know that Brook is on the Board of Directors of The Election Center (the only state election official on that Board) and we know a lot about TEC's funding base, etc. We also know that Brook has attended every national meeting of state election officials, at which the voting machine companies lavish their affections on officials with open bars, free meals, cruises in the Pacific and Potomac, etc.

What I am looking for in this thread is more detailed evidence of the quantity and variety of "freebies" that voting machine companies have given to election officials at these national meetings and elsewhere. You can post information from state-level experiences in your own state, or from other national meetings of relevant public officials (e.g., national meetings of secretaries of state). Any influence-peddling you are aware of would help us build our case here in Tennessee for our ethics commission.

Thanks for sharing (your information).