Diebold pulls out of North Carolina

[G_j]

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051223/NEWSREC0101/512230306/1010/NEWSREC020107

News - Government
Friday, December 23, 2005

Diebold pulls out of contract competition

by Mark Binker
Staff Writer

RALEIGH — Voting machine maker Diebold has told the State Board of Elections that it will not sell its equipment in North Carolina, at least for the time being.

The move leaves one company, ES&S of Omaha, Neb., eligible to sell voting equipment in the state with tight deadlines looming in advance of primary elections scheduled for May.

Election officials said they will have to wait until next week to figure out how severe the impact of Diebold’s withdrawal will be on the state’s ability to conduct elections. But under the state’s current timetable, counties have until Jan. 20 to sign a contract to buy new voting machines.

“There’s good and bad things about both (Diebold and ES&S), and I’m not sure which of the two systems we would have recommended,” said Guilford County Elections Director George Gilbert. Instead of choosing which system to use, counties are now forced to buy systems built by ES&S if they want to have a legal election.

This is the latest twist in a long-running saga that has its roots in voting machine glitches in the 2004 election. Foremost among those was a Carteret County voting machine that lost more than 4,400 votes.

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[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. It's probably safer for them to do that.... who wants a bunch of

little diebolds running around anyway.... anklebites.