Diebold Lobbyist Donates $10,000 to Blackwell Campaign

Diebold Lobbyist Donates $10,000 to Blackwell Campaign

June 9, 2006, 08:56 PM

COLUMBUS (AP) -- Forty-nine of the 85 people who this year have given Ohio secretary of state Kenneth Blackwell the maximum $10,000 allowed an individual donor have done so since May 2. Members of Cincinnati financier Carl Lindner's family led the way by combining for $90,000. The maximum-donor list also includes Mitch Given, who is a registered lobbyist for Diebold Election Systems, one of the vendors of voting machines for election boards in Ohio.

Blackwell's office approved Diebold's selection as a vendor and negotiated the price for the machines, although the counties chose the machines.

Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said the May 15 contribution came well after Diebold signed a contract with the state to provide the machines in February 2004 after bids were submitted by the vendors. LoParo also pointed out that Given lobbies for other companies and is a frequent contributor to GOP campaigns. Given also donated $10,000 to Betty Montgomery's campaign a week after she dropped out of the governor's race to run for attorney general.

"It's important to note that he did not contribute to Secretary Blackwell during the bidding process," LoParo said.

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And after the cut off date for the pre primary filling deadline....

POS....