Voting Machine Controversy – Diebold CEO committed to delivering Bush vote

[kskiska]

Columbus - The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."

The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.

O'Dell attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors - known as Rangers and Pioneers - at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month. The next week, he penned invitations to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser to benefit the Ohio Republican Party's federal campaign fund - partially benefiting Bush - at his mansion in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington.

The letter went out the day before Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, also a Republican, was set to qualify Diebold as one of three firms eligible to sell upgraded electronic voting machines to Ohio counties in time for the 2004 election.

more…
http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/106207171078040.xml

[Demobrat]

1. Could anything scream conflct of interest louder?

It's like they don't care who knows.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

2. Let's see... How do I say this.... HOLY SHIT!

I'm no business guru, but if I were trying to sell VOTING MACHINES, I would stay the hell out of partisan politics.

These bastards don't even bother TRYING to look fair and even. The Republicans are FLAUNTING this shit in our faces.

Frightening stuff here, thanks for posting.

[maggrwaggr]

3. kick

:kick:

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to screw you.

[maggrwaggr]

4. this is huge

Seriously, this is a virtual smoking gun

[Fovea]

5. If this is not corrected

Then we are looking at the end of representitive democracy in America.
What else can we assume from a statement like this?

[maggrwaggr]

7. "we are looking at the end of representitive democracy in America"

exactly.

Story of the year? The decade?

This has to be stopped in its tracks.

We have to write everyone we know about this. Congresspeople, media, everyone.

This has to get out there.

[robbedvoter]

6. We need a copy of the fundraising letter - Ohioans?

[VolcanoJen]

8. Dupe... locking

Please continue discussion by posting in the original, earliest LBN thread on this topic, which can be found here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=87981

Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator