Diebold whistleblower alleges "technical woes"

Embattled voting-machine maker Diebold Election Systems has been accused of hiding "major problems" in its equipment by a whistleblower called "Dieb-Throat." In an interview with The Raw Story, the source, identified as a company insider, claims Diebold has broken state election laws "many times" and "screwing with the software" was "part of their recipe for getting into the election business." Although the source stopped short of directly charging Diebold with fixing elections, Dieb-Throat said that management "felt that if they controlled an election company, they could have great influence over the outcome." A Diebold spokesman denies the charges, saying the company "has a sterling reputation in the industry." Earlier this year, Diebold pulled out of North Carolina, after the state insisted on reviewing the company's source code.