Columbus Dispatch: Diebold Pushed too Hard to Sell Voting Machines [View All]

Important article from a paper that enfdorsed bu$h. Definitely worth the read!

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2005/08/14/20050814-A1-00.html&chck=t

Employees pushed too hard to sell voting machines, some county officials say

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Jim Siegel , Robert Ruth and Robert Vitale
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

When Susan Gwinn read that a Diebold Inc. representative handed a
$10,000 check to the Franklin County elections director, the scenario
sounded familiar.

The head of the Athens County Democratic Party and chairwoman of the
county's board of elections said Diebold representative William
Chavanne tried to give her $1,000 for the county party in October
2003. At the time, the board was preparing to buy new voting machines.
"My concern at the time was that he was trying to influence my
decision," Gwinn said, adding that she turned down the donation.

snip

• Matthew Damschroder, director of the Franklin County Board of
Elections, was suspended for 30 days after admitting he accepted a
$10,000 check in January 2004 from Pasquale "Pat" Gallina, a Diebold
representative who made out the check to the county Republican Party.
The donation came the day the county was opening bids for new
voter-registration software. Prosecutor Ron O'Brien and sheriff's
detectives are investigating.

• Daniel Harkins, chairman of the Clark County Republican Party, said
he stormed out of a dinner with four Diebold representatives on April
26 after they tried to strong-arm him.