Md. claims Diebold e-voting safe for primary

The March primary in Maryland can be held without any changes to the state's Diebold Election Systems software, the Maryland Department of Legislative Services has decided.

Officials of Diebold Election Systems Inc. announced the decision Jan. 29.

The decision was based on an analysis by Columbia, Md.-based RABA Technologies LLC, which found that the software accurately counts votes cast and can render a printed image of every ballot cast if a recount is necessary.

The findings are consistent with a prior review conducted by Science Applications International Corp. of San Diego, company officials said.

Maryland, along with several other states, including California, Nevada and Ohio, have re-evaluated their electronic voting systems after computer scientists identified potential security risks in the systems' hardware and software.

"The findings in the SAIC and RABA reports both confirm the accuracy and security of Maryland's voting procedures and our voting systems as they exist today," said Bob Urosevich, president of Diebold Election Systems.

"There will always be room for improvement and refinement," Urosevich added. "This is especially true in assuring the utmost security in elections."

The Diebold AccuVote-TS voting system was used in four counties in the last Maryland statewide primary and general elections and in several municipal elections in 2003. The system performed as intended in every case, according to a company statement.

The Diebold system makes voting accessible for people with other disabilities. It offers voters the choice of viewing a ballot in any one of 11 languages.