Brief The attorney general of California is joining a case to sue electronic ballot box maker Diebold. Its machines were used in the state to count votes during the March primary election.

The attorney general initially considered criminal charges against the company for installing uncertified software on some machines which "jeopardized" the election result. About 6,000 people had to use back-up paper ballots because of problems with the machines. More than half the polling stations in San Diego County could not open on time because of problems with Diebold equipment.

The case asks for the return of the $12m the state spent on the touchscreen voting machines. ®

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