"In August, I ordered my administration to subject the Diebold machine and source code to the strictest of tests to ensure it met my high standards," Ehrlich said. "This month, a third-party analyst submitted to me a positive independent review indicating that the Diebold machine and source code, if operated properly, can contribute to one of the safest, most secure election systems available. Because of this report, Maryland voters will have one of the safest election environments in the nation."
In August, the governor ordered Science Application International Corp., (SAIC), under an existing contract for security services with the state, to conduct the independent analysis of the Diebold machine and its source code. The SAIC review responded in part to a report published by Aviel Rubin of Johns Hopkins University that questioned the use of the Diebold source code.
SAIC's independent review states, "While many of the statements made by Mr. Rubin were technically correct, it is clear that Mr. Rubin did not have a complete understanding of the state of Maryland's implementation of the AccuVote-TS voting system ... The state of Maryland's procedural controls and general voting environment reduce or eliminate many of the vulnerabilities identified in the Rubin report."
SAIC's report continues, "Rubin states repeatedly that he does not know how the [Diebold] system operates in an election and he further identifies the assumptions that he used to reach his conclusions. In those cases where these assumptions concerning operational or management controls were incorrect, the resultant conclusions were, unsurprisingly, also incorrect."
Diebold has incorporated three new security features in response to the independent review. The enhancements include implementing a dynamic assignment of security keys to enable the state to determine the pass codes used by smart cards to access the system; incorporating encryption into the electronic transmission of election results; and providing personal identification numbers for use when election officials access the system.
"SAIC's robust analysis of the Diebold technology benefits every Maryland voter," said Gilles W. Burger, Chairman of the Maryland State Board of Elections. "Because of SAIC's comprehensive and independent review, voters and election workers in Maryland will now have one of the leading election systems in the nation."
