Firm providing military absentee ballots for '04 sold to Saudis

Newsday ^ | 2/27/03 | Mark Harrington

[FastNBulbous]

Election.com Sold To Group Tied To Saudi Nationals

By Mark Harrington
Staff Writer
February 27, 2003

Election.com, a struggling Garden City start-up scheduled to provide online absentee ballots for U.S. military personnel in the 2004 federal election, has quietly sold controlling power to an investment group with ties to unnamed Saudi nationals, according to company correspondence.

In a letter sent to a select group of well-heeled Election.com investors Jan. 21, the online voting and voter registration company disclosed that the investment group Osan Ltd. paid $1.2 million to acquire 20 million preferred shares to control 51.6 percent of the voting power.

In a Newsday interview in October, Charles Smith, a representative of Osan who sits on Election.com's board, declined to name the Saudi Arabian investors with a stake in the company, other than to say they were "passive” and part of a larger group that included Americans and Europeans. Smith didn't return phone calls Wednesday.

A federal law enforcement official who follows election issues said he was surprised to hear about the ownership of Election.com, which is one of several contractors working on the online Federal Voting Assistance Program, primarily for overseas military personnel.

Concerns about the ownership stake were first raised following the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Smith at the time accused critics of unfairly focusing on the issue because the terrorists were Saudi.

Several shareholders of the company said they were surprised by the recent buyout and have asked for securities regulators to investigate.

[FastNBulbous]

This was published last week, but I just stumbled on it and couldn't find it posted to FR. Something to worry about?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Good Lord, the Saudis are going to own controlling interest in a company that provides absentee ballots to U.S. troops! Now, how effed up is that?!

[Mo1]

In a Newsday interview in October, Charles Smith, a representative of Osan who sits on Election.com's board, declined to name the Saudi Arabian investors with a stake in the company, other than to say they were "passive” and part of a larger group that included Americans and Europeans. Smith didn't return phone calls Wednesday.

Let me quess .. Friends of the Clinton's

[OXENinFLA]

Now WHY wound the Saudis want to get into a company that just might DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF AN ELECTION?

[Hostage]

Good find.

This is clearly beyond outrageous. The Saudi terrorists of 9-11 and today study American society for all its weaknesses. Wherever they spot a weakness, they will attempt to exploit it.

We should have a law, and if there is not one there should be, that there can be no foreign ownership in any part of any election related business including voting machines, online voting services, election polling and the like.

I am still wary of software controlled voting machines. Officials seem to think that a test program will prevent fraud, but they are wrong. As was discussed on FR at length during the Election 2000 fiasco, a ballot coded in a rare way can be used to trigger software code to count differently.

[Guillermo]

Well, one of our Presidents turned over the Panama Canal to the Chinese and another one sold them ballistic missile technology.

Why is this surprising?

[joesnuffy]

The Wahabbi Lobby strikes again...
moderate islam the trojan horse for real thing

[ALOHA RONNIE]

NEVER FORGET

...HILLARY stops Military Votes again..!

...In a new -Time of War-..

...with an Enemy that is now...

...just around the corner and...

...up your street:


"IS it SAFE?" = HILLARY on Armed Services Committee

http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=629

NEVER FORGET

[fella]

What the HECK is going on?

[steveegg]

In a Newsday interview in October, Charles Smith, a representative of Osan who sits on Election.com's board, declined to name the Saudi Arabian investors with a stake in the company, other than to say they were "passive” and part of a larger group that included Americans and Europeans.

Would that group include Frogs, Krauts and DemonRATs?

[grumple]

This is an attempt to stifle the military vote. Ensure control of military ballots is being handled by someone who assures they will not arrive in time to be counted, get lost, etc...

that's what is going on...

To have a Presidential winner, the Dems need to either create voters or eliminate those that vote against them. The military vote is 95% obvious as to who they will vote for.

[weegee]

Don't forget that one of those presidents met with members of the Chinese military to solicit campaign money for re-election.

[mabelkitty]

This needs to challenged.

[cake_crumb]

Good LORD! Switch companies!! NOW!!

I'm sorry for how prejudicial this sounds, but I don't want nationals from Saudi, whos' FELLOW nationals attacked the WTC and Pentagon on 9/11 to have ANYTHING TO DO WITH AMERICAN ELECTIONS!! That Saudi prince blamed the US for 9/11! They hold benefits for terrorists!

[freedomson]

[cake_crumb]

ARRRRRGH!! I'll still be out there leading the revolution if she takes over the White House...her party's involved in this...somehow!

[M. Thatcher]

INSANITY BUMP

[Republic]

DOUBLING YOUR INSANITY BUMP!

Can't we do anything about this. I find it flat out scary!

[Republic]

Is this OUTRAGEOUS or what?