Untitled Document
The chief executive officer of electronic voting company Diebold who
once famously declared that he would "deliver" Ohio for President
Bush has resigned effective immediately, RAW
STORY has learned.
"The board of directors and Wally mutually agreed that his decision to
resign at this time for personal reasons was in the best interest of all parties,"
the company's new chairman said in a statement.
O'Dell's resignation comes just days after reports from BradBlog.com
that the company was facing imminent securities fraud litigation surrounding
charges of insider trading. It also comes on the heels of a RAW STORY interview
with a Diebold insider, who raised new allegations of technical woes inside
the company, as well as concerns that Diebold may have mishandled elections
in Georgia and Ohio.
Diebold's chief operating officer Thomas Swidarski will take O'Dell's place.
"This has been a very challenging year for the company," Swidarski
said. "We are beginning to make progress to improve some of our performance
issues, reduce our cost structure by addressing inefficiencies in our manufacturing
supply chain and software development processes, and instill price discipline
throughout the company."
In a story last week, RAW STORY recounted allegations
made by a Diebold insider who said he/she had become disillusioned after witnessing
repeated efforts by the firm to evade meeting legal requirements or implementing
appropriate security measures, and who alleged that Diebold had put corporate
interests ahead of the interests of voters.
“I’ve absolutely had it with the dishonesty,” the insider
said.
Blasting Wally O’Dell, the current president of Diebold, the whistleblower
went on to explain behind-the-scenes tactics of the company and its officers.
“There’s a lot of pressure in the corporation to make the numbers:
`We don’t tell you how to do it, but do it.’ [O’Dell is] probably
the number one culprit putting pressure on people,” the source said.
The whistleblower also questioned whether the company or its subsidiaries had
mishandled a 2002 Georgia gubernatorial election and voting in Ohio this year.
Diebold spokesman David Bear rebutted the charges. “Diebold has a sterling
reputation in the industry," Bear said. "It’s a 144-year-old
company and is considered one of the best companies in the industry."
