Manufacturer says its on track for state's new voting machines

ATLANTA - An Ohio company hired to install more than 19,000 touch-screen electronic voting machines in Georgia counties by November says meeting the deadline will pose no problems. <br> <br> Diebold Election Systems, which was awarded the contract to install the machines in all of the state&#39;s 159 counties, filled an order 10 times larger two years ago when it supplied Brazil with a nationwide electronic-voting system. <br> <br> The company, a subsidiary of automated teller manufacturer Diebold Incorportated of North Canton, Ohio, was chosen over eight competing vendors for Georgia&#39;s $54 million contract. <br> <br> The agreement requires the company to meet a series of interim deadlines for manufacture, inspection, delivery and certification of machines, all leading up to final acceptance by the state three days before the November Fifth elections. <br> <br> Diebold also will be closely involved in training local elections officials and poll workers in how to use the new equipment. <br> <br> Under the contract, failure to meet any of the deadlines would result in penalties of up to a $135,000 per day.