] Activists have also questioned the political affiliations ] of the leading voting companies. Late last year, Harris ] found that Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, used ] to run the voting company that provided most of the ] voting machines in his state. And in August, the ] Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Walden O'Dell, the ] CEO of Diebold, is a major fundraiser for President Bush. ] In a letter to fellow Republicans, O'Dell said that he ] was "COMMITTED TO HELPING OHIO DELIVER ITS ELECTORAL ] VOTES TO THE PRESIDENT NEXT YEAR." ] ] But the problems Harris found in Diebold's system are ] perhaps the best proof yet that electronic voting systems ] aren't ready for prime time. Indeed, the vulnerabilities ] in the software, as well as the internal memos, raise ] questions about the legitimacy of the California recall ] election. In its ruling, the 9th Circuit Court put the ] election on hold until the six counties that currently ] use punch-card systems -- six counties that comprise 44 ] percent of the state's voters -- upgrade their systems. ] On Monday, 11 judges on the 9th Circuit reheard the ] recall case; they may very well allow the election to go ] ahead on Oct. 7. If the recall vote is put on hold until ] March, however, many may wonder whether to trust the ] results: Four of the six punch-card counties -- including ] the largest, Los Angeles and San Diego -- have plans to ] upgrade to Diebold machines by March. Very good article, with links to Diebold's internal memos, on the electronic voting systems. Salon.com Technology | An open invitation to election fraud |