Here’s a picture that was taken earlier today (click on it to see it larger). It may look like any panel van that one would see making deliveries around the city. On the back window is something you may also see around the city considering that the nation is entering the final stretch of the presidential campaign.
But take a look at the logo on the front passenger door. Diebold. Yes, Diebold. I realize that its difficult to see, but that’s the logo of the company that makes the voting machines for Ohio. Might it be just a bit of a conflict for a Diebold van to be promoting a specific presidential candidate? Answer: YES.
Have a look at Diebold’s web site for a better view of their logo.
To be fair, it is Premier Election Solutions that is the “official” maker of these machines, but Premier is a division of Diebold. According to Premier’s web site,
Premier Election Solutions focuses on two priorities when delivering election solutions: the voter and you — the person responsible for making sure the election process runs accurately. We’ve developed a process that ensures your needs and the voting public’s needs are anticipated and met well before the first ballot is marked, and after the last one is counted.
“…anticipated and met well before the first ballot is marked…” now that’s really funny.
Great catch Jeff. Plenty of lawsuits unresolved from the past several years of elections since HAVA. “I will deliver Ohio” said the CEO of Diebold prior to the 2004 election. Crazy.
[…] Jeff Johnson at “Urban In-Fill” points us to a photo he says was snapped recently in Columbus, Ohio… […]
Jeff, I’m the communications director at Diebold, Incorporated and I noticed the photo posted above on bradblog.com. I just wanted to go on record as saying that this driver is breaking our policy by putting individual, non-company signage on this van. Placing signage of a political nature on our vehicles is certainly something we can do without, given the history of our former CEO that we’ve been trying to put behind us for the past three years.
Given that putting bumper stickers on our company vehicles(especially those of a political nature) is not something that Diebold condones and is against our policy, it would be helpful if you could contact me individually and provide me the photo with the license plate number unobscured. I understand if you’re not comfortable doing this, but I could use this information to help enforce our policy in this regard and help ensure that this sticker is removed from this particular van and that the driver is at least reprimanded. Let me know, and thanks.
This photo has made its way to the VP of US Service Operations at Diebold and I just received notice that the campaign sticker has been removed from this vehicle.
Hey — brilliant! I illustrated and ‘touched-up’ a clarifying version of it on my blog.
http://www.blog.freeforall.tv
I am in Columbus documenting voter suppression and promoting my film FREE FOR ALL! which chronicles my investigation into the 2004 theft of Ohio.