Republicans now beating predictions of previously accurate exit polls. Why? Voting machines. Ireland, Canada and the Netherlands have junked them.

And what company is the 800-pound Gorilla of vote tabulation all across America? ES&S. AKSARBENT did a much longer post about this little-know company here, after its machines caused huge miscounts (upwards of 30% of votes were uncounted) in a 2010 Bronx, New York election.

ES&S: "...our business has grown to
serve four countries, 41 states
with more than 4,000 election offices"

Recent stories about ES&S practices and products:

• Bradblog: Omaha-based e-voting Goliath attempts to block PA county's independent audit of it's failed touch screens
• Computerworld: A ballot-scanning device slated for use in the upcoming presidential elections misreads ballots, fails to log critical events and is prone to sudden lockups, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission found.

ES&S is a subsidiary of McCarthy Group, LLC, which is jointly held by the holding firm and the Omaha World-Herald Company, the publisher of Nebraska's largest newspaper. In 2007 it became the largest manufacturer of voting machines in the United States. In 2009, it absorbed its biggest competitor, Diebold/Premier.