Walden O'Dell, the chairman and chief executive of
Diebold, has said that it was a "huge mistake" for him, as the head of
a voting machine company, to express support for President George W.
Bush's re-election in a fund-raising letter last year.
O'Dell, in a meeting with reporters and editors from The New York Times
on Monday, also said Diebold was working to address computer security
problems and build voter confidence in its wares. He apologized for
mistakes and stood up for what he said the company had done right.
"The country had a crisis" after the 2000 election debacle, he said;
his company realized that it "could help; it would be an opportunity to
serve, and it would be a good business."
O'Dell drew criticism of his company in August when he sent an
invitation to a fund-raising party that said, "I am committed to
helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
He said he had not written the letter himself, though he declined to
say who had. He added that he intended only to sign a "party
invitation."
[...]
He said he could not discuss California, which on April 30 prohibited
the use of Diebold's machines in four counties for the November
election. The California secretary of state, Kevin Shelley, has asked
state's attorney general to investigate whether Diebold should face
charges.