Diebold demands that HBO cancel documentary on voting machines

– this is a subject I’ve watched closely. I’m convinced that it is one of the bigger under-reported stories around.

-It is so obviously in the best interests of our democracy that we have completely open and transparent processes for everything to do with electronic voting machines. The Australians have done it well and there’s no plausible reason why we here in the U.S. cannot do the same. So, if it isn’t happening here, then it must be to someone’s strong advantage that it doesn’t. Think about that. There’s definitely something stinky surrounding this entire issue here in the U.S.

– Try searching this site for the word, ‘Diebold’. You will find a number of articles questioning the veracity of electronic voting in this country and Diebold is near the epicenter of most of them.

– See BlackBoxVoting.org

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Film saying they can be manipulated ‘inaccurate’

Diebold Inc. insisted that cable network HBO cancel a documentary that questions the integrity of its voting machines, calling the program inaccurate and unfair.

The program, “Hacking Democracy,” is scheduled to debut Thursday (November 2nd), five days before the 2006 U.S. midterm elections. The film claims that Diebold voting machines aren’t tamper-proof and can be manipulated to change voting results.

“Hacking Democracy” is “replete with material examples of inaccurate reporting,” Diebold Election System President David Byrd said in a letter to HBO President and Chief Executive Chris Albrecht posted on Diebold’s Web site. Short of pulling the film, Monday’s letter asks for disclaimers to be aired and for HBO to post Diebold’s response on its Web site.

According to Byrd’s letter, inaccuracies in the film include the assertion that Diebold, whose election systems unit is based in Allen, Texas, tabulated more than 40 percent of the votes cast in the 2000 presidential election.

The letter says Diebold wasn’t in the electronic voting business in 2000, when disputes over ballots in Florida delayed President Bush’s victory for more than a month and raised questions about the reliability of electronic voting machines.

“We stand by the film,” said Jeff Cusson, a spokesman for HBO, which is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

“We have no intention of withdrawing it from our schedule. It appears that the film Diebold is responding to is not the film HBO is airing.”

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