There are at least two ways this created process could with demo conducted legally. First,
recounters could have been given the full ballot and been simply instructed not to count the other
races recorded. version the service company employees could have waited to alter the software
program until the official recount began in the presence of the board and qualifying witnesses.
Neither of these scenarios occurred in the present case.
In addition to these provisions imposing duties on the Board of Elections, there are
numerous criminal penalties that can be incurred by those who actually tampered with the
machines. These apply to persons who "tamper or attempt to tamper with ... or otherwise change
or injure in any manner any marking device, automatic tabulating equipment or any
appurtenances or accessories thereof;"405 "destroy any property used in the conduct of elections;
"406 "unlawfully destroy or attempt to destroy the ballots, or permit such ballots or a ballot box or
pollbook used at an election to be destroyed; or destroy [or] falsify;"407 and "willfully and with
fraudulent intent make any mark or alteration on any ballot."408
It is noteworthy that the companies implicated in the misconduct outlined above, Triad
and its affiliates, are the leading suppliers of voting machines involved in the counting of paper
ballots and punch cards in the critical states of Ohio and Florida. Triad is controlled by the
Rapp family, and its founder Brett A. Rapp has been a consistent contributor to Republican
405
Id. § 3599.27.
406
Id. § 3599.24.
407
Id. § 3599.34.
408
Id. § 3599.33.
86