State OKs Use Of Questioned Diebold Voting Machines

Sacramento, CA — California Secretary of State Bruce McPherson is giving a conditional OK for counties to use voting machines he had previously questioned.

In December, McPherson asked Diebold Election Systems to submit the memory cards, or computer coding, on two of its voting machines for independent testing.

Computer scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, reviewed the coding, and say it needs long-term fixes, but any worries right now can be addressed by ensuring tight security on Election Day.

McPherson says that counties can use the machines this year as long as they follow strict voting day protocol.

Diebold will be required to make the long-term fixes to the machines, then resubmit them for more tests. Several counties have already bought the voting machines.