LAB THAT TESTED VOTING MACHINES TEMPORARILY BLACKLISTED BECAUSE OF

CHRISTOPHER DREW, NY TIMES - A laboratory that has tested most of the
nation's electronic voting systems has been temporarily barred from
approving new machines after federal officials found that it was not
following its quality-control procedures and could not document that it
was conducting all the required tests. The company, Ciber Inc. of
Greenwood Village, Colo., has also come under fire from analysts hired
by New York State over its plans to test new voting machines for the
state. New York could eventually spend $200 million to replace its aging
lever devices.

Experts on voting systems say the Ciber problems underscore longstanding
worries about lax inspections in the secretive world of voting-machine
testing. The action by the federal Election Assistance Commission seems
certain to fan growing concerns about the reliability and security of
the devices.

The commission acted last summer, but the problem was not disclosed
then. Officials at the commission and Ciber confirmed the action in
recent interviews.

Ciber, the largest tester of the nation's voting machine software, says
it is fixing its problems and expects to gain certification soon.

Experts say the deficiencies of the laboratory suggest that crucial
features like the vote-counting software and security against hacking
may not have been thoroughly tested on many machines now in use.

"What's scary is that we've been using systems in elections that Ciber
had certified, and this calls into question those systems that they
tested," said Aviel D. Rubin, a computer science professor at Johns
Hopkins.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/washington/04voting.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


[Unmentioned in the Times story was Ciber's strong GOP connections]

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 2004 - At Greenwood Village-based Ciber, employees
and some spouses have donated more than $72,000 to GOP candidates and
groups during the 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 election cycles, according to
the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group.

http://corrente.blogspot.com/2004/08/election-fraud-2004-voting-machine.html


AP, DEC 21 - The chairman of information technology consultant Ciber
Inc. sold 25,000 shares of common stock, according to a Securities and
Exchange Commission filing Wednesday. In a Form 4 filed with the SEC,
Bobby G. Stevenson reported he sold the shares on Wednesday for about
$6.71 apiece.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8M5DPH80.htm

AP, 2004 - Despite concerns over whether the so-called touch screen
machines can be trusted, the testing companies won't say publicly if
they have encountered shoddy workmanship. . . In Huntsville, the window
blinds were closed when a reporter visited the office suite where Ciber
Inc. employees test voting machine software. A woman who unlocked the
door said no one inside could answer questions about testing.

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