Lawyer warns city to prove its criticism of voting-system firm

By John McCormick
Tribune staff reporter
Published March 29, 2006


Chicago election officials were told Tuesday that they can legally withhold payments to Sequoia Voting Systems, but only if they can prove the California company failed to live up to the terms of its contract.

Short of that, members of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners were warned by their lawyer to watch what they say about the equipment manufacturer.

Chicago and Cook County officials have acknowledged a lack of training for election judges who faced the daunting task of using a new and complex system in last week's primary. But they have also previously pointed fingers at Sequoia, saying the firm did not perform adequately.

In a memo obtained by the Tribune, the board's lawyer told members, meeting for the first time since the primary, that they are entitled to "withhold or offset payments to Sequoia if there has been a breach of contract." But James Scanlon also said "serious repercussions" could result from making comments about the company that are not fully supported

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0603290267mar29,1,810491.story?coll=chi-newslocalnorth-hed

Give a public demonstration of the incompetence and corruption of these machines and the company that built them.

How hard can it be?

if they try and throw their weight around Chicago.

fishy? you bet.

:P

:kick:

:bounce::toast::bounce:

with the truth, nothing but the truth - submit expert witnesses, outside testing, subpeona company emails and internal communications.

Let Sequoia claim that the comments are false, therefore slanderous or libelous.

None of these black box companies wants the light of day shining on their product - they'd walk away from the money first (knowing some good RePuke PAC could write them a check to replace it in a heartbeat)

reputation becomes admissible, whereas normally you can never talk about someone's reputation.

that becomes admissible, and otherwise you wouldnt be able to bring up repuation?
Sequoia has such a sparkling reputation..

and it is placed at issue in those types of cases, generally

That should be the discussion, not prove they don't work.

I went to a PDA event last Sunday and the Cegelis race was brought up. I was not following it too much but the panel said that Cegelis was doing well until Dem heavyweight including , I believe Rahm Emmanuel (of Hackett fame) and John Kerry, decided the run a candidate with ` 6 weeks left. They spent $850,000 to run this candidate in the primary. The discussion of sabotage of a progressive and expense of this large sum of money was held. I must admit I have no background info and had not been following it. Duckworth won the primary but by a small margin over Cegelis. I emeber reading aboout missing memory cards in IL and other problems and wondered if this is in any way connected to this primary.

this same reporter previously reported....

IMHO