Sell
Research and Tools
Parts & Service
- Auto Parts
- Service & Repair
- Quick Searches
- Auto Repair
- Oil Change
San Diego County hires ex-sales rep for Diebold as registrar
By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer | ∞
NORTH COUNTY -- A former sales representative for the company that made the county's electronic voting machines has been hired as the county's registrar of voters, county officials announced Friday.
In 2003, the county bought 10,000 electronic voting machines from Diebold Election Systems. The county's new registrar, Deborah Seiler, said Friday that she worked as sales representative for the company and was directly involved in the successful effort to sell the company's equipment to the county in 2003.
In addition to her stint at Diebold, the 57-year-old woman's resume reflects a broad background in elections, dating to the late 1970s, when she served as assistant chief of elections with the California secretary of state's office. In 1982, she became assistant to the secretary of state for elections and political reform and held that position until 1989. Between 1991 and 1999, Seiler worked as director of customer relations for the electronic voting machine company, Sequoia Pacific Systems. She also served as a commissioner with the California Fair Political Practices Commission between 1993 and 1997.
In San Diego County, many of the questions surrounding recent elections -- and the hiring of Seiler -- involve electronic voting machines made by Diebold.
Diebold sold more than 10,000 of the machines to the county at a total cost of $31 million.
"Our job was simply to point out the merits of the hardware and the software," Seiler said.
At least one election watchdog says he is not happy with the hire.
"There is always going to be that question, 'Is there a conflict of interest?' " said Carlsbad attorney Ken Simpkins, who unsuccessfully sued San Diego County last year to force it to put enough paper ballots at the polls to cover the county's 1.3 million voters.
"When Diebold's contract comes up for renewal or there are disagreements, is she going to represent her former company or the citizens of San Diego County?" Simpkins asked when contacted by the North County Times on Friday.
Seiler has served for the last three years as the assistant registrar of voters in Solano County. She will start as the new local elections chief next month and earn an annual salary of $150,000, she said.
Seiler said that running the county's elections will not be easy, especially because three major elections are scheduled in 2008 -- the presidential primaries in February, primary elections for state and local offices in June and the general presidential election in November.
With the first of those elections about nine months out, Secretary of State Debra Bowen recently called for a "top-to-bottom" review of the state's electronic voting systems to assure voters that their elections systems were "secure, accurate and reliable." The call for a review added to the growing controversy over the voting machines, which opponents say are rife with vulnerability to vote manipulation.
Seiler said Friday that her biggest challenge is "the uncertainty about the voting system because of the secretary of state's review."
"Uncertainty is always a challenge when you are walking into a major election cycle," she said.
Bowen has said that the review of the voting machines could produce three possible findings: that the machines have no problems, that they do have problems that could be fixed, or that the machines can't be fixed and should be decertified.
It's the potential for decertification that has Seiler concerned, especially in light of the fact that the February presidential primaries are only about nine months away, she said.
"There would be a wholesale change to the system that would require re-education of poll workers and voters and would require a restructuring of our procedures," Seiler said.
Recent years have seen a number of people serve as registrar for the county. Mikel Haas held the job between 1995 and 2001, before stepping down. Sally McPherson took over the job, but retired in 2005 and Haas became registrar again.
In April, Haas was promoted to the job of director of the county's Community Services Group, a job in which he oversees six county departments, including the registrar of voters office. Retired Riverside County Registrar of Voters Mischelle Townsend took over as interim chief elections officer while the county searched for a replacement for Haas.
Seiler's hiring was the second decision by the county in the last month or so to raise questions from election watchdogs. In April, county officials announced that they were giving the job of assistant registrar of voters to former Cuyahoga County Ohio elections chief Michael Vu, who served in that position for three and a half years.
During his tenure, the county gained national notoriety when a federal judge in Cleveland ordered 16 Cuyahoga County polling stations to stay open 90 minutes after the 7:30 closing time in November's elections because of voting machine problems and long waiting lines for voters.
In January, a court convicted two elections workers in that county of illegally rigging the 2004 presidential election recount so they could avoid a more complete review of votes. Vu defended the workers, saying they had followed long-standing procedures and done nothing wrong.
Haas said Friday that he was instrumental in hiring Seiler and he believes that the county has found a "gem."
"Her depth and breadth of knowledge of elections in California for over 27 years was the absolute driving point in hiring her," Haas said.
Asked if Seiler's association with Diebold played a role in the decision to hire her, Haas said: "We use that system, so it's kind of a plus."
-- Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426, or wbennett@nctimes.com.
More Stories
what wrote on May 12, 2007 6:05 AM:are you kidding me?
Double WHAT?!?!?!? wrote on May 12, 2007 9:21 AM:Blurring the lines between public service and for profit businesses has one result: the public loses. Hiring someoe with an obvious conflict of interest such as Ms. Seiler has, is in poor taste and a disservice to the voters of San Diego County. It REALLY undermines the credibility of our election system. I'm wondering why they could not find a more impartial person to fill the position - and I'm amazed that Mr. Hass has the gall to suggest that Seiler's association with Diebold is "kind of a plus." Fire them all and start over.
Tony wrote on May 12, 2007 9:36 AM:Mikel Haas should be hung out to dry, along with all the other self serving bureaucrats that have paid into this corrupt form of county government.
GG wrote on May 12, 2007 9:49 AM:This is beyond belief. This must be the only way to keep San Diego a haven for Republicans. I guess we don't need to bother voting now.
Can You Say... wrote on May 12, 2007 12:38 PM:More Voter Fraud on the Horizon. That should have been the title on the article.
RB Resident wrote on May 12, 2007 1:36 PM:You mean "More Election Fraud..." Not voter fraud. Voter fraud involves some individual voting in the wrong area, or repeat voting, etc. Election fraud involves manipulating the results of an election, like giving every fourth vote to a certain candidate, instead of who the voter intended, through some means such as an intentional "glitch" in the software (this is just an example). It is election fraud that can be done through hacking electronic voting machines (including optical scan units, but they at least have a ballot that can be counted later)
Poll Worker wrote on May 12, 2007 5:50 PM:These folks had better hope that people who care about election issues will continue to snooze until election week as per usual. Where is that dude now who was so incensed on the last E day that he wanted to create a riot in the waiting line for paper ballots? I told him that I shared his pain but was obligated to hide my opinions on election day. What a travesty that such a crucial part of our whole political system recieves such short shrift until it's too late to protect the vote. Mr. Bennett, please keep on this issue if you care about this. I will contact you to find out.
Vista Resident wrote on May 12, 2007 6:15 PM:Unbelievable!
Incredulous wrote on May 12, 2007 8:19 PM:What nerve! And Seiler has the temerity to suggest that the "uncertainty in the voting system" is due to the review of the machines by the State. Ms. Seiler, the "uncertainty in the voting system" is due to the fraudulent use of Diebold-Sequoia machines in Ohio, Maryland and Florida as articulated by non-partisan voter panels reports. Haas has a dream team, now. Seilers assistant will be Michael Vu who was run out of Cuyahoga County Onio ahead of a critical bi-partisan Voter Panel report. These two will be paid a combined $270,000 a year, not to mention the dividends on their Diebold stock. The outsourcing and privatization of our democracy to a foreign-owned company is absurd. Because California has suddenly become important in the Presidential primaries, we find that county election boards are being staffed with Diebold-Sequoia executives. Steal one election, shame on them; steal two elections; shame on us.
Disbeliever wrote on May 12, 2007 8:34 PM:Who promoted Haas? Who made up this incredible position that controls your election process? Voting is surely the last opportunity to finish making this country a democracy. Tell your elected "representatives" that you want them to enact a law requiring that an office dealing with the election process must be filled by popular election. And tell them that you will work against the reelection of all who don't co-sponsor and vote to support this fundamental right to control your election system. Why on Earth would anyone want to have an appointee of an appointee in a role that absolutely and openly MUST be held by a non-partisan public servant? Wake up, people!
Satisfied wrote on May 14, 2007 8:47 AM:Those of us with brains in our skulls and better things to do with our time than whine and complain have no problem with Ms. Seiler becoming the Registrar of Voters. Conspiracy theorists and bored Democrats (I am part of the AIP, by the way) need to get over themselves and realize that the reason there are so many problems in the election world is not because of problems in offices, but having to deal with people like these, who constantly whine because the candidate they gave money to lost. And Incredulous, an interesting point from you...foreign-owned company? Diebold Election Systems is based in Ohio. Do some research and stop listening to rumors on the street.
steve wrote on May 14, 2007 1:16 PM:I have known Deborah Seiler for many years and find her to be of impeccable character. Say or believe what you like. You will find Deborah to be knowledgable and capable of running San Diego's elections. There is no substitute for her experience and high ethical standards. Give her a chance. ...
cavfp wrote on May 14, 2007 2:11 PM:So are all of you naysayers also saying that she rigged the FPPC while at the Secretary of State's Office or are you just whistling Dixie to prove ignorance?
steve2 wrote on May 17, 2007 1:26 PM:A more knowledgable person concerning elections does not exist in the state of CA. This is why she has been respected by state and county election professionals for over 25 years. She will always "do the right thing" for voters and the County of San Diego. 100 to 1 that people saying otherwise have never met her and don't know her.
taxed wrote on May 19, 2007 3:21 AM:It's not a question of knowing her, or not. The issue isn't if Ms. Seiller is a fine person or a mass murder. The issue is the revolving door between vendor and public service. Is Ms. Seiller as Diebold vendor going to sell another ten thousand machines to Ms. Seiller the registrar of Voters? Ms. Seiller has hopped in and out of county registrar positions when not employed by Diebold. It is bad policy. Do we want the manufacturer of the Sprinter engines to be the head of the NCTD? Doesn't anyone see how the awarding of contracts and choices of hardware and programs would be impacted?
Ghost in the Machine wrote on May 21, 2007 12:37 AM:Since when does whistling Dixie prove ignorance? And yes, somebody did rig the 2004 election. Wild speculation? No. An extensive study was undertaken at UC Berkeley using most reported anomalies from Maryland, Ohio, Colorado and Florida. The rigid statistical model showed that the errors were made in favor of Bush in over 99 percent of the cases. Ms. Seiler may well have impeccable character and high moral standards, but before leaving her post in Northern California, she called the NCT article about her a "hit piece". The contract is not up for review. I have no affiliation with Diebold and haven't for three years." Really Ms. Seiler?
Concerned Voter wrote on May 21, 2007 12:42 PM:Is there some reason that the County of San Diego cannot hire a Registrar of Voters that does not have a questionable background with regard to expensive and unreliable electronic voting equipment, voting irregularities, or both?
NotFromHere wrote on Aug 15, 2007 1:01 PM:With this bit of info, the security reports on the voting machines and the Wired article about Wiki edits, removing content critical of Diebold, which came from Diebold internet addresses I'm starting to feel the need to polish my tinfoil hat. If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably election fraud.
First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.
Today's Stories
Advertisement