Read The Nation article on one computer geek’s quest for testing the statistically-improbable output of ballot scanning machines manufactured by Diebold. Kerry’s New Hampshire win was obvious, lending the state’s votes nicely to the study.
“What [Ida Briggs, Michigan computer geek, using statistics] found were striking anomalies … In general, [snip] the “Diebold precincts” showed larger and more frequent deviations from expected voting trends than precincts relying strictly on hand counts, and even than those using an optical-scan counting system from another manufacturer.
“In the era of contracted-out services, companies like Diebold are given unusual amounts of liberty to be self-policing. The problems emerge later, if at all. Diebold has faced intense scrutiny and criticism over malfunctions in its touch-screen voting machines, but it steadfastly insists that its optical scanners have proven reliable during years of use … Respected analysts have found numerous bugs in Diebold’s system codes, and complain that the company has failed to release its most recent revisions, preventing an independent verification of improvements.”
