Truth is stranger than fiction AND conspiracy theory

Why would a manufacturer of voting machines claim that the ability to easily tamper with votes recorded in them is no big deal? Oh, there are reasons, according to this Salon article about flaws in Diebold’s system, not least of which is the stated commitment of the CEO to deliver his state up to Bush next year. The flaw: anyone who has Microsoft Access can get at the database that stores the results and do anything with the data that they want. Including the audit logs. And in many cases the computers are connected to the Internet.

And the Diebold memos suggest that these back doors are not only known, but have been exploited, in Gaston County, NC—and in King County, Washington. Of course, I should note I’ve never seen these touch-panel systems in Kirkland, but I suppose it’s only a matter of time.

Other places that have used Diebold machines? The state of Georgia, where Max Cleland suffered an overnight 11 point shift, and Sonny Perdue was elected—the first Republican to be elected Governor in 134 years. Coincidence?

Wonder what Greg thinks about all this?

(For those without Salon day passes: The initial investigation by Bev Harris; the first Salon story from earlier this year; the smoking gun memos.)