Can AP rig the vote?

This article, by former BBC writer Lynn Landes, alleges that Associated Press has unprecedented authority over the election night vote totals:

The Associated Press (AP) will be the sole source of raw vote totals for the major news broadcasters on Election Night. However, AP spokesmen Jack Stokes and John Jones refused to explain to this journalist how the AP will receive that information. They refused to confirm or deny that the AP will receive direct feed from voting machines and central vote tabulating computers across the country. But, circumstantial evidence suggests that is exactly what will happen.

And what can be downloaded can also be uploaded. Computer experts say that signals can travel both to and from computerized voting machines through wireless technology, modems, and even simple electricity. Computer scientists have long warned that computer voting is an invitation to vote fraud and system failure. An examination of Diebold election software by several computer scientists, including Dr. Avi Rubin and his staff, proved that secret backdoors can be built into computer programs that allow votes to be easily manipulated without detection.

One scenario: "Massaged" totals fed to AP will affect the vote on the west coast by giving iffy wins to such states as Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio and Minnesota. Even if the data is corrected as the night progresses, depressed Democratic voters in Nevada and Oregon may not see much point in going to the polls. This could be a particular problem in Oregon, where an anti-gay marriage ballot proposition will fetch a heavy Jesus-voter turnout.