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DRAFT: This page is a draft! :DRAFT CostsIt is normal for a private company to extract as much profit out of its customers as possible, even if that customer is the American people and children in the county hospital get shortchanged. This is easy to do in the computer business once a customer has made a big investment in your privately owned systems. It's called "stickiness", and once the customer is stuck with you, you can gouge them for all they have. The voting machine business is no different. [The taxpayers] "already bought the system. At this point they are just closing the barn door. Let's just hope that as a company we are smart enough to charge out the yin if they try to change the rules now ..." (Diebold email) Over 3 to 5 years, Optical Scan systems cost 60% of DRE (Diebold-like systems) - NY, CONN, FLA, MD Companies raise prices on captive customers (Maryland example) High cost of maintenance contracts stuns elections officials (from the Columbus Dispatch, March 5, 2006). www.verifiedvotingfoundation.org/article.php?id=6344 Resources
Facts about Ballot Printing Costs, by New Yorkers for Verified Voting, 7/07 "Our report discusses the legal and technical requirements for ballots and presents price quotes for New York State ballots as low as 14 cents per ballot." 8 different reports on costs : Voting Technology Costs and Considerations, by VerifiedVoting.org, 2005
Cost Information about Voting Systems, by VotersUnite.org, 7/05, 2 pgs "Experience and evidence show that Direct Record Electronic (DRE) voting machines are more expensive than paper-based systems, such as optical scanners: Nobody, and no machine, should be counting American votes in secret.For further information, email Jim Soper at :
SomeThoughts@Aol.com
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