<x-flowed>PBS' California Connected on recent Diebold vulnerabilities
<http://josephhall.org/nqb2/index.php/2006/06/22/caconn_desivulns>

[California Connected], a PBS news magazine with an emphasis on
California issues, has recently published the last in a special series
by Thomas Kelley on the recent security vulnerabilities discovered in
voting systems manufactured by Diebold Election Systems, Inc. (DESI).

It starts off with an interactive piece that sets the issue up
([*"Interactive: Ballot Boxes and Black Holes"*][1]) and then goes in
depth in a four-part series:

1. [*"Shortcircuits in our democracy?"*][2]
2. [*"Backdoors to Castle Diebold"*][3]
3. [*"Voting machines and hailstorms"*][4]
4. [*"Two sides speaking in code"*][5]

This is the best reporting I've seen on this issue yet, despite the
fact that I'm quoted in the third and forth pieces :).

They also quote (in alphabetical order) Kim Alexander (California
Voter Foundation), Paul DeGregorio (Chairman of the EAC), Barbara
Dunmore (RoV for Riverside Co.), Lowell Finley (VoterAction), Bev
Harris (Black Box Voting), Doug Jones (Univ. of Iowa, ACCURATE), Susan
Lapsley (California Asst. Sec. of State for Elections) and Mark Radke
(Spokesman for DESI).

The series does a great job of explaining the issue in basic terms and
parsing its complexity to make it more accessible to those who might
not be election technology geeks.  I especially like how it highlights
the tensions between the various parties and values involved in the
discussion.

If after reading this material you still can't get enough, you might
be interested in reading a document of mine the series cites from a
recent briefing that I participated in on Capitol Hill for Senators,
Representatives and their staffers:

* Joseph Lorenzo Hall, ["Background on Recent Diebold Election
Systems, Inc. (DESI) Vulnerabilities"][6]. *NCVI Briefing for
Congressmembers and Staff*; United States Congress (June 7, 2006).

[...]

[California Connected]: http://www.californiaconnected.org/
[1]: http://www.californiaconnected.org/tv/archives/406
[2]: http://www.californiaconnected.org/newsroom/?p=63
[3]: http://www.californiaconnected.org/newsroom/?p=64
[4]: http://www.californiaconnected.org/newsroom/?p=75
[5]: http://www.californiaconnected.org/newsroom/?p=68
[6]: http://josephhall.org/papers/DESI_vulns_background_briefing-20060607.pdf

-Joe