Diebold tried to sell off voting-machine business

CLEVELAND (AP) — Diebold Inc. confirmed on Thursday what had been widely speculated since January: That it tried and failed to sell its often criticized voting technology business.

Instead, the company said, it will allow the unit to operate more independently, giving it a separate board of directors and perhaps a new management structure.

Diebold touch-screen voting machines are used in elections across the country, including Utah, often amid criticism that the technology can be manipulated. The company has insisted touch-screen voting is reliable and an improvement over punch-card ballots that resulted in a complicated and difficult recount in Florida during the 2000 presidential election.

Diebold also slashed its revenue outlook $120 million for the year from its earlier full-year guidance of $185 million to $215 million for that segment because of delays by several states in purchasing voting equipment. The lowered revenue outlook, a cut of 56 percent to 65 percent, will slash the company's earnings by 27 cents per share for the year.

Diebold did not rule out later selling part or all of the realigned business.