California Secretary of State Debra Bowen is suing a voting systems manufacturer for $15 million. She claims five counties were sold equipment that was not properly certified. Jenny O’Mara reports.
Secretary of State Debra Bowen says Nebraska-based Election Systems and Software Incorporated made unauthorized changes to a version of the Automark systems—then sold more than 900 of the machines in the state. She said those changes should have been submitted for certification.
Bowen: The state elections code states very unequivocally it is the Secretary of State not a voting system vendor who decides whether voting system changes require re-examination.
The machines in question were sold to San Francisco, Marin, Colusa, Solano and Merced counties. ES&S responded in a statement that the changes made to the hardware were extremely minor and the company followed the state’s established practice.
