Conflict of Interest Is Alleged in Vote-Count Probe
A supporter of a Riverside County Board of Supervisors candidate seeking a recount of the March 2 election has asked the district attorney’s office to turn over a vote-count investigation to the state, citing a possible conflict of interest.
Registrar of Voters Mischelle Townsend had asked Dist. Atty. Grover Trask to investigate allegations that Sequoia Voting Systems employees tampered with vote-tabulation equipment.
The charges were made by Art Cassel, a backer of candidate Linda Soubirous, who lost to incumbent Bob Buster and the opportunity for a runoff.
Cassel asked that the matter be referred to state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, arguing that Trask had endorsed Buster, that a public relations firm employed by Trask worked for Sequoia, and that a consulting firm that worked on Trask’s 1998 election also worked for Soubirous, Supervisor-elect Jeff Stone and Assistant Dist. Atty. Rod Pacheco.
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