It appears that the City of Winnipeg uses Optech III-P Eagle optical scanners for counting ballots during municipal elections.
This optical scanner is manufactured by Election Systems & Software (ES&S) of Omaha, Nebraska. ES&S is now facing lawsuits and criminal charges due to service failures as late as March of this year in elections in the U.S..
Elsewhere it’s been reported that ES&S has paid commissions to elections officials for their endorsements and for machines sold. In 2004, ES&S scanners were found to occasionally add votes during one election, and omitting or losing vote counts in several others.
Voters Unite is an organization that aims to inform voters in the U.S. of the inherent problems of electronic voting and they’ve published a report (PDF) that details many of the recent issues facing U.S. voters. These are issues facing Canadian electors as well. With a municipal election this fall in Winnipeg, the use of these faulty technologies should come under harsh scrutiny.
See also BlackBoxVoting.org.
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