Tuscon Citizen on the Diebold TSx Lemon

Because Arizona is facing lawsuits trying to prevent the use of the Diebold TSx, the mainstream media there have done a fairly decent job of exposing the flaws with the machine. This piece in the Tuscon Citizen provides a good description of why the machine is facing so much opposition. An excerpt:

Mary Thompson, a retired computer programmer, went to a demonstration of the new machines in May at the county Administrative Building.

She tried voting "no" on a mock ballot measure and the vote came up "yes" on the screen because she didn't hit the "no" button dead center, she said.

"What it indicates is sloppy programming," Thompson said.

The new machines also could pose problems for the target users: disabled people. Edward Matthews has brain damage from a 1998 bus accident and he has problems with motor skills and short-term memory.

Matthews and others like him have a tough time precisely putting their fingers on a target.

"I could look at the screen and say, 'That's what I want to do,' but not be able to do it," he said. Moreover, the program moves "too fast" for people with short-term memory problems, Matthews said.

"You've got to fix this machine," he said. "People are just going to be turned off by this thing."

Diebold officials did not return phone calls this week, but Deputy Secretary of State Kevin Tyne called the system safe and secure.

Note: The cartoon is by the outstanding Matt Bors.