Its Election Day. Who owns your voting machines?

United Technologies makes the Blackhawk and other various pieces of military tech, as well as being a huge election contributor. They launch a hostile takeover of Diebold, one of the largest manufacturers of voting machines and ATMS. The United Technologies CEO holds a seat on the Board of Directors of Citi Group. Citi Group's largest individual interests are the Abu Dhabi goverment and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia.

What could possibly go wrong?

First off, United Technologies Makes Bid for Diebold. And it's a very aggressive, one might hostile takeover.

The United Technologies Corporation made public on Sunday an unsolicited $3-billion bid for Diebold, one of the largest makers of automated teller machines and voting machines.

United Technologies, which first approached Diebold two years ago, initially made the $3 billion offer in private on Friday. The bid is $40 a share in cash, or a 66 percent premium over Diebold’s Friday closing price of $24.12, United Technologies said.

Several unsolicited or hostile offers have been made this year despite an overall slowdown in deal-making activity. Among companies making unfriendly advances are Microsoft, which is pursuing the wounded Internet giant Yahoo, and Electronic Arts, which made a bid for Take-Two Interactive, the maker of the Grand Theft Auto series of video games.

In Diebold, United Technologies sees a chance to expand its electronic security business with one of the field’s largest players. Last year, United Technologies bought Initial Electronic Security Systems for about $1.2 billion.

"This transaction creates significant and immediate value for Diebold shareholders with no operational risk, while creating long-term value for U.T.C. shareholders," George David, United Technologies’ chairman and chief executive, said in a statement Sunday.

James Geisler, United Technologies’ vice president of finance and the head of its mergers and acquisitions team, said in an interview Sunday that the company contacted Diebold about a possible deal two years ago, but was rebuffed.

On Feb. 19, Mr. David sent Diebold’s board a letter proposing deal talks. Two days later, Diebold’s chairman, John N. Lauer, responded that the company’s board had rejected any possible tie-up, saying none was in its best interests, and requested that United Technologies refrain from contacting any of its directors.

Mr. Geisler declined to say whether United Technologies would press the bid if Diebold formally declined it, saying only his company "knew what its options are."

Founded in 1859, Diebold grew as a financial systems security provider. But it was thrust into a harsh public spotlight in the 2004 election, as the company was criticized for its electronic voting machines in Ohio and elsewhere.

The company has struggled recently with a variety of problems, both internal and external. In January, Diebold said it would restate its financial reports from 2003 through the first quarter of 2007 because of changes to its accounting methods.

Diebold previously disclosed that both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department had made inquiries into the way it recognized certain kinds of revenue.

The global credit crunch that has stung financial firms has affected Diebold as well. The company said last week that it would cut about 5 percent of its work force, or 800 jobs, in anticipation of slowing demand for A.T.M.’s.

Diebold also said it expected slower growth in its voting machines business. It reported $61 million in revenue from those operations in 2007, compared with $195 million in 2006.

Shares in Diebold have fallen more than 48 percent over the last year.

Based in Hartford, Conn., United Technologies has 225,600 employees spread out across businesses like the plane engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, the helicopter maker Sikorsky and the elevator servicer Otis. The company has a market value of $69 billion.

Diebold, based in North Canton, Ohio, has 15,451 employees. As of Friday, it had a market value of $1.6 billion.

Morgan Stanley is working as United Technologies’ financial adviser, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz as its legal counsel.

Who is United Technologies? Let's check their Wiki entry:

United Technologies Corporation (UTC) (NYSE: UTX) is an American multinational conglomerate based in Hartford, Connecticut, and is the 20th largest U.S. manufacturer. It researches, develops, and manufactures products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, helicopters, heating and cooling, fuel cells, elevators and escalators, fire and security, building systems, and industrial products, among others. UTC is also a large military contractor, producing missile systems and military helicopters, most notably the Black Hawk Helicopter. In 2005, it received over 5 billion dollars in military contracts. George David is the current CEO.

The core group of United Technologies companies was founded in 1929 as United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, by the merger of Boeing, Chance Vought, Hamilton Standard, Pratt & Whitney, and Sikorsky Aircraft. As a result of the Air Mail Act in 1934, United Aircraft and Transport broke up into three independent companies: Boeing, United Aircraft, and United Airlines. Vought was spun off as an independent business in 1954, but otherwise, United Aircraft maintained its original corporate structure and concentration in the aerospace and defense industries well into the 1970s.

United Aircraft changed its name to United Technologies in 1975, and the next year acquired Otis Elevator. In 1979, Carrier Refrigeration and Mostek were acquired; Mostek was sold in 1985 to the French electronics company Thomson. United Technologies acquired Sundstrand Corporation in 1999, and merged it into UTC's Hamilton Standard unit to form Hamilton Sundstrand. Two years later, UTC entered the fire and security business by purchasing Chubb Security, which was followed in 2005 by Kidde. Also in 2005, United Technologies acquired Boeing's Rocketdyne division, which was merged into the Pratt & Whitney business unit.

During the 2004 election cycle, UTC was the sixth largest defense industry donor to political campaigns, contributing a total of $789,561. 64% of UTC's 2004 contributions went to Republicans. UTC was also the sixth largest donor in to federal candidates and political parties in the 2006 election cycle. 35% of those contributions went to Democrats; 53% of the funds were contributed to Republicans. Several prominent politicians have served on the board of directors for UTC, including: former Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr. (R-TN), Antonia H. Chayes, former Undersecretary of the Air Force, Charles Duncan, Jr., former Secretary of Energy, Jamie S. Gorelick, former Deputy United States Attorney General, William J. Perry, former Secretary of Defense, and Christine Todd Whitman, former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Business units:
Carrier
A maker of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems.

Hamilton Sundstrand
Designs and manufactures aerospace systems for commercial, regional, corporate and military aircraft; a major supplier for international space programs. Provides industrial products for the hydrocarbon, chemical, and food processing industries, construction and mining companies.

Otis
Manufacturer, installer, and servicer of elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.

Pratt & Whitney
Designs and builds aircraft engines, gas turbines, and rockets.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
Maker of helicopters for commercial, industrial, and military uses.

UTC Fire & Security
Makes fire detection and suppression systems, access control systems, and security alarm systems; provides security system integration and monitoring services.

UTC Power
Manufacturer of distributed power generation systems and fuel cells for commercial, transportation, and space and defense applications.

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)
A centralized research facility that supports all UTC business units in developing new technologies and processes.

Additionally, George David, CEO of United Technologies, also has a permanent seat on the Board of Directors of Citigroup. The largest Citigroup shareholders include:

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the investment arm of Abu Dhabi government, Kingdom Holding Company owned by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, and Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.

So you've got a very questionable election machine manufacturer with a history of conspiracy and scandal being bought out by a major defense industry corporation and political contributor whose CEO sits on a board with extensive financial ties to Abu Dhabi and the Saudi royal family. What could possibly go wrong?