As of March 15, we're $28,000 in the red for the quarter. Donate here to support this vital work
Subscribe here and join over 13,000 subscribers to our free weekly newsletter

Voting Problems
Who Counts Your Vote?

Dear friends,

Below are a number of crucial, little-known voting facts related to voting problems for all who value democracy. Take the time to click on the links provided and read some of the revealing articles, many of which are from major media sources. Why are these facts getting so little media coverage? Please help to play the role at which the media is so sadly failing by spreading this news to your friends and colleagues.

Though one party may benefit more than others, this is not a partisan issue. We invite all who care about democracy to join in working towards clean, free elections which truly reflect the will of the people.Together, we can and will build a brighter future.

With best wishes,
Fred Burks for WantToKnow.info
Former language interpreter for Presidents Bush and Clinton

Note: For the most up-to-date, verifiable information on voting problems and elections manipulations, see our Elections Information Center and our collection of elections new articles.


Federal regulators have virtually no oversight over testing of the touchscreen technology. The three companies that certify the nation's voting technologies operate in secrecy, and refuse to discuss flaws in the voting machines.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5762054/from/RL.4 - MSNBC/Associated Press
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR20060325... - Washington Post

30% of all 2004 U.S. votes were cast on touch screen voting machines. Most of them, including all of Florida's, lack paper records that could be used to verify the electronic results in a recount. Over 20 percent of the machines tested by observers around the country failed to record votes properly.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2004-11-03-evote-trouble_x.htm - USA Today
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml - CBS News

Diebold Election Systems is the world's largest voting-machine company, with over 50 % of the world market. Diebold's headquarters are located in Ohio, the state which decided the 2004 presidential election.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml - CBS News
http://www.diebold.com/news/newsdisp.asp?id=2837 - Diebold website
http://www.diebold.com/aboutus/ataglance/default.htm - Diebold website with headquarters address

Diebold bought Global Elections Systems (GES) in 2002. At least five convicted felons  had previously secured management positions at GES. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Diebold, GES produces the operating system used on touch-screen voting terminals.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_03/121803C.shtml - Associated Press article
http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/voices/200401/0119voting.html - PBS Website
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/election/2001855390_felons11m0.html - Seattle Times
http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0406/040211_news_election.php - Seattle Weekly

Elections Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S) counted approximately 56 percent of the U.S. national vote in each of the last four presidential and congressional elections, amounting to more than 100 million ballots cast in each election.

http://www.essvote.com/HTML/about/about.html - ES&S website
http://www.state.nd.us/hava/news/pdf/2004/01092004.pdf - State of North Dakota website
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

80% of all U.S. votes (not just electronic) are counted by these two: Diebold and ES&S.

www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/sfl-pn.pre.7a4oct30,0,40... - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm

http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2005/6.html

The president of Diebold and a vice president of ES&S are brothers.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/... - USA Today: Bob Urosevich as president of Diebold
https://www.WantToKnow.info/001119usatoday - USA Today: Todd Urosevich as VP of ES&S
http://www.diebold.com/news/newsdisp.asp?id=3036 - Diebold website, Bob Urosevich president
https://www.WantToKnow.info/essurosevich - shows how to access original webpage on ES&S website, now removed, which lists Todd Urosevich as VP of Customer Support and Company Spokesperson

These two brothers founded American Information Systems (AIS), which later became ES&S

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=683
http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/diebold
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0225-05.htm
http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/042804Landes/042804landes.html

Senator Chuck Hagel was chairman of ES&S precursor AIS. He became Senator in an upset victory based on votes counted by ES&S machines.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,124914,00.html - Fox News
http://www.npr.org/programs/npc/2003/030619.chagel.html - NPR

Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's vice-presidential candidates in 2000. 

http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_28/b3689130.htm - Business Week
http://edition.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/07/25/bush.vp/ - CNN News
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/e2376.htm - USA Today

The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."

New York Times, 11/9/03New York Times
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml - CBS News
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/sr_technology_debate.html - PBS

California's Secretary of State Kevin Shelley called for a criminal investigation of Diebold, saying the company had lied to state officials. "There was a wholesale breakdown in the election last March. Untold thousands of individuals were turned away and denied their right to vote because the voting equipment couldn't start." So many of the machines malfunctioned or ran unapproved software that Shelley took the extraordinary step of decertifying them.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/07/28/sunday/main632436.shtml - CBS News
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4874190 - MSNBC News
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2004-05-01-e-voting_x.htm - USA Today

For an abundance of other verifiable voting problems, see our Elections Information Center:
https://www.WantToKnow.info/electionsinformation


WantToKnow.info is a group of dedicated researchers from around the world. We compile and summarize important, verifiable facts and information being hidden from the public. We are deeply committed to building a brighter future for us, for our children, and for our world.


For an excellent HBO video on voting problems: www.WantToKnow.info/electionsvideodocumentary



Your tax-deductible donations, however large or small, help greatly to support this important work.
To make a secure donation: https://www.WantToKnow.info/donationswtk