When Election Systems & Software bought Diebold Inc. for $5 million earlier this year, it meant that 92 percent of Florida's voting machines will be owned by one company. That kind of power over a basic instrument of democracy has caused justified consternation in a state still suffering from the embarrassment of the 2000 presidential election fiasco.
 
Even though the ES&S acquisition seemed not to trouble the state's top election officials, including Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning, it apparently did bother Attorney General Bill McCollum. He recently announced that his agency is conducting an anti-trust investigation into the voting-machine merger -- a most welcome move.
 
``Anti-competitive behavior can seriously harm consumers,'' said Mr. McCollum, who is running for governor on the Republican ticket. ``Competitive behavior encourages the best products be available to consumers, including technology, particularly in a market as sensitive as the voting systems market.'' Well said.