- SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)
- California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said on Tuesday he would sue
electronic voting machine maker Diebold Inc on charges it defrauded the
state with false claims about its products.
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- Secretary of State Kevin Shelley has said Diebold deceived
California with aggressive marketing that led to the installation of touch-screen
voting systems that were not tested or approved nationally or in California.
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- Lockyer's office issued a statement noting he has authority
to intervene in and take over false claims cases involving vendors to state.
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- "Lockyer determined sufficient evidence existed
to go forward with a false claims lawsuit against Diebold," the statement
said. The state's top lawyer earlier had dropped a criminal investigation
of Diebold.
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- Diebold Vice President Thomas Swidarski said in a statement
that the company was pleased Lockyer dropped the probe. Despite Lockyer's
decision to sue, the company is "confident that the state's decision
to intervene will aid in a fair and dispassionate examination of the issues
raised in the case," Swidarski said.
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- California in April set tough new standards for electronic
voting by ordering new security measures for e-voting machines, and California's
Secretary of State called for a criminal probe into Diebold, the state's
largest e-voting machine supplier.
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