Nedap

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Nedap (N.V. Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek) is a Netherlands based company. Its principal place of business is Groenlo, the Netherlands. It has subsidiaries in Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Spain, and has been quoted on the Euronext exchange since 1949.

The company focuses on developing and supplying solutions in the fields of security (identification of persons, animals and goods) and electronic control units.

NEDAP's activities are organized in the following Market Groups: Agri, AVI (Automatic Vehicle Identification), Education, Election Systems, Healthcare, Libraries, Locker Management Systems, Power Supplies, Retail Support, Security Management, Specials.

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[edit] Voting Computers

An important business unit of Nedap is their Election Systems group. There has been a lot of dicussion about the trustworthiness of these computers. Some interesting newsbits about them follows.

[edit] Netherlands

In the Netherlands more than 90% of the population voted using ES3B machines from Nedap. On 5 October 2006 the group "Wij vertrouwen stemcomputers niet" ("We do not trust voting machines") demonstrated on Dutch television how the ES3B machines could be manipulated in five minutes. The exchange of the software would not be recognizable by voters or election officials. [1] [2]

Further information: Dutch general election, 2006: Voting machine controversy, and Electronic voting: Netherlands

In 27. September 2007 all Dutch voting computers where decertified.[3][4][5]

Using the Dutch Freedom of Information Act the "Wij vertrouwen stemcomputers niet" foundation received correspondence between of the Dutch Electoral Council and Nedap in February 2007. These include the proposal by Nedap to be bought by the Dutch government, otherwise the company would stop to support the next elections.[6]

[edit] Possible election fraud

In 2006 there was a case of an election official misinforming voters of when their vote was recorded and later recording it himself during municipality elections in the city of Zeeland, Landerd. A candidate who was also an election official and suspiciously got 181 votes in the polling place where he was working. In the other three polling places he got 11 votes combined.[7] In a poll by a local newspaper the results were totally different. The case is still under investigation.[8]

[edit] Germany

Germany used 2000 Nedap machines (ESD1 and ESD2) in the 2005 elections for the Bundestag. The difference between the machines used in the Netherlands and Germany is mainly due to differences in the voting laws.

Further information: Electronic voting: Germany

[edit] Ireland

Ireland purchased 7500 Nedap machines in 2003 but is not using them yet because of security concerns.[9]

Further information: Electronic voting: Ireland

[edit] United States

In the US the direct-recording electronic voting machines are marketed in partnership with Liberty Election Systems as "LIBERTYVOTE".[10] The state of New York is currently contemplating buying 28,000 Nedap direct-recording electronic voting machines.[11]

[edit] Shareholders

On 18th September 2007 the following list of major shareholders was comprised:[12]

  • Cross Options Beheer: 15.1%
  • Delta Deelnemingen Fund: 13.4%
  • Kempen Capital Management: 10.3%
  • Aviva: 8.1%
  • Fortis: 7.9%
  • Darlin: 5.3%
  • Eureko: 5.1%

[edit] References

  1. ^ Nedap/Groenendaal ES3B voting computer, a security analysis
  2. ^ Dutch citizens group cracks Nedap's voting computer
  3. ^ Dutch voting computers will be decertified shortly, opednews.com, 30. September 2007
  4. ^ Wij vertrouwen stemcomputers niet: Dutch voting computers will be decertified shortly
  5. ^ (German) Heise.de: Niederlande: Aus für Nedap-Wahlcomputer, 28. September 2007
  6. ^ Voting systems company threatens Dutch state: "Buy my company now or you won’t have provincial elections"
  7. ^ Statement of voting machine manufacturer Nedap(German)
  8. ^ Raadslid Landerd is stuk minder populair in schaduwverkiezing(Dutch)
  9. ^ Cullen rules out use of e-voting in June
  10. ^ Liberty Election Systems, About us
  11. ^ Groenendaal
  12. ^ NYSE Euronext (Dutch)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links