Premier Voting Solutions Admits Problem With Machines

Premier Election Solutions has acknowledged that its voting machines have had for 10 years "a critical programming error that can cause votes to be dropped while being electronically transferred from memory cards to a central tallying point."

The logic error is present in both types of voting machines made by Premier (formerly Diebold): touchscreens and optical scan systems. These machines are used in 34 states (1,750 jurisdictions). In Ohio's March primaries, it is known that the machines temporarily lost 1,000 ballots.

The cumbersome system set in place by the Help America Vote Act and the Election Assistance Commission means that there is no quick fix for this problem. In other words, the problem will be with us in November. A company spokesman said it takes "two years on average for certification and approval" of any proposed change.

Earlier this week, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner banned the practice of voting machine "sleepovers" at poll worker homes the night before an election. Her press statement said:

We want Ohio’s voters and the rest of the nation to see that we have prepared a transparent process of transporting voting equipment, ballots and supplies. That begins with security practices at boards of elections and polling places, documented chain of custody, and now procedures to make secure voting machine delivery.

See An Illustrated History of Voting Methods and Technology and States Abandoning Touchscreen Voting Equipment. On the web: Planning to E-Vote? Read This First.