Absentee Ballots Have Been Slow to Date, by Bill Dolan, NWI [Gary IN], March 20, 2007

Absentee Ballots Have Been Slow to Date

By Bill Dolan
NWI [Gary IN]
March 20, 2007

http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2007/03/20/news/top_news/doc2144527f0ee5aca8862572a400030db0.txt

Merrillville — Absentee balloting has been low in the first municipal election year since vote fraud disrupted the 2003 East Chicago and Schererville elections.

State officials traveled to Merrillville on Monday to say they will monitor the May 8 primary election, and they hope to recruit local residents to keep cases of vote fraud low or nonexistent.

Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter and Secretary of State Todd Rokita announced the state and the Lake County prosecutor's office have cooperated in opening two toll-free hot lines to report fraud or other election-related complaints.

"We will serve as an extra set of eyes for Mr. Carter and those in charge of law enforcement," Rokita said Monday at a joint news conference with Steve Carter. "I and some persons I deputize are going to be on the ground, in person on election day — at least in East Chicago."

The Lake County elections board had received 199 applications for absentee ballots to cast in the May 8 primary as of late last week. Only 58 were being requested to vote in the East Chicago city races since ballot applications began last month.

"That's low," County Election Administrator Michelle Fajman said Monday morning.

Four years ago, thousands of absentee ballots were cast across the county — 1,951 in East Chicago alone. Fajman said applications may pick up in coming weeks.

Fraud pertaining to absentee ballots were a source of controversy in the 2003 East Chicago municipal elections that eventually led to a voiding of results in the mayoral primary and a re-election that unseated longtime incumbent Mayor Robert Pastrick. The 2003 Schererville town judge results also were overturned.

Contact: bdolan@nwitimes.com or 219.662.5328