Activists Welcome News from Maryland, California

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, April 22nd, 2004

For further information, contact:

Voting Integrity Activists
Welcome News from Maryland, California

California Officials Move to Decertify Diebold Voting Machines Asks Attorney General to Investigate Possible Criminal Activities

Georgians Ask When Will State Officials Act to Protect Public Confidence Here

The California Voting Systems and Procedures Panel in an unanimous decision today recommended that the Diebold voting machines used in four California counties be decertified for use in the state's elections and that a report of the Secretary of State's office be forwarded to the Attorney General's office to consider civil and criminal charges against the company.

"The Secretary of State's March 2004 response to our Open Records Request reveals that we in Georgia are using exactly the same system that California today decertified," said Roxanne Jekot of Cummings, a long time computer programmer who co-founded CountTheVote.org here in Georgia. "We would hope that Georgia would be wise enough to follow California's example."

The news of the California panel's recommendation to de-certify the Diebold machines follows on the heels of news of a major lawsuit filed yesterday by voting machine activists in Maryland and the release by a whistle-blower of internal memos speculating on whether Diebold might be criminally liable for installing uncertified software for use in a public election. In Schade, et al vs. Maryland State Board of Elections, plaintiffs seek an Order that the Diebold machines used state-wide in Maryland be decertified and that election officials be required to provide a voter verified paper audit trail in future elections.

"We made great strides in educating Georgia policy makers through our work to enact SB-500," said Hugh Esco, chair of the Voters Choice Coalition and political coordinator of the Georgia Green Party. "Our work has only begun, though. We're exploring potential litigation strategies with a number of attorneys who are ready to go to work. We're also hopeful that Governor Perdue will see fit to include this important issue in his Proclamation calling for a Special Session."

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For background information, see:
The Voter Choice Coalition
http://www.voterchoice.org/auditableballots.php

CountTheVote.org http://www.countthevote.org

Schade, et al vs. Maryland State Board of Elections http://www.voterchoice.org/pdf/MdTruVote_Complaint.pdf

Internal Diebold Memos Speculating on Possible Criminal Prosecution http://media.mnginteractive.com/media/paper190/ActionandBudget.pdf http://media.mnginteractive.com/media/paper190/alamedacountyagreement.pdf http://media.mnginteractive.com/media/paper190/CASecofState.pdf http://media.mnginteractive.com/media/paper190/memorandum.pdf

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