Voting Machine Companies Financially Involved in Political Campaign

[MORTARDUDE]

http://www.blackboxvoting.com/

Voting Machine Companies Financially Involved in Political Campaign
Posted on Wednesday, October 29 @ 01:55:20 CST by David


Helping America Vote?
Matthew Pascarella GregPalast.com
?The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.? ?Sec. 1, 15th Amendment

Despite differences in ethos and political ideology, we can agree that the most fundamental and essential aspect of the democratic process is one?s right to vote.

The 2000 Presidential election debacle brought to light massive problems with the way that Americans vote. Due to mechanical problems with voting machines, and partisan fighting, many voters were left completely disenfranchised. In response to public outcry, Congress adopted the ?Help America Vote Act? (HAVA) in 2002. This act, originally designed to safeguard voter rights, in fact, contains flaws so major that it has the opposite effect; the Act puts one of our most basic rights in peril.

? In 2000, 5 of the 12 directors of Diebold, a leading voting machine manufacturer, made donations totaling $94,750 to predominately Republican politicians;

? Former Florida Secretary of State Sandra Mortham (R) and Former State Election Supervisor of California Lou Dedier (R) both have ties to Election Systems and Software (ES&S), one of our nation?s leading voting machine manufacturers and tabulators. Sandra Mortham was a lobbyist for ES&S and the Florida Association of Counties during the same time period. The Florida Association of Counties made $300,000 in commissions from the sale of ES&S?s voting machines;

? In Georgia?s most recent election, William Wingate, a lobbyist for ES&S, contributed $7,000 to Gov. Roy Barnes (D), $1,000 to Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor (D), and $500 to Secretary of State Cathy Cox (D);

? Michael McCarthy is the Chairman of the McCarthy Group, of which ES&S is a subsidiary. According to Federal Elections Commission (FEC) filings, McCarthy is also the Primary Campaign Treasurer for Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who (according to FEC filings) is also financially tied to the McCarthy Group by substantial investments (valued between one and five million dollars). According to officials at Nebraska?s Election Administration, ES&S machines tallied around 85 percent of votes cast in Hagel?s 1996 and 2002 senatorial races.

Occasionally, politicians have used their ties to voting machine companies for fraud and illegal activities:

Read more...