WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) -- A voter advocacy organization asked the U.S. Justice Department yesterday to undo the sale by Diebold Inc. of its voting machine business, saying the transaction promotes a monopoly.

Voter Action, based in Seattle and Amherst, Mass., said in a letter to the department's antitrust division that the transaction is a grab for market share. The sale creates monopoly power in violation of federal antitrust laws, the group said.

Diebold, based in North Canton, said in early September that it would sell its subsidiary Premier Election Solutions Inc., based in Allen, Texas, to its bigger competitor, Election Systems & Software Inc. of Omaha, Neb., for $5 million plus payments representing 70 percent of collections of the unit's accounts receivable as of Aug. 31.

All but two Ohio counties use equipment from ES&S or Premier.