Prosecutor: no foul play in elections

A special prosecuting attorney has decided there was no foul play in the 2006 Monroe County elections.\nMembers of the Monroe County Republican Party made allegations regarding three issues, according to special prosecuting attorney Barry S. Brown’s filing. \nThe first was that a key with access to the clerk’s absentee voting offices and suite had been duplicated and possibly used without authorization. The second was that 19 challenged ballots, faxed in from overseas, were not secured properly, making them vulnerable to improper manipulation.\nThe third regarded certain voters who were listed on precinct poll lists but did not live at the listed addresses. Written challenges to the status of these persons as eligible and properly registered voters were filed with the Monroe County Clerk’s office.\n“I think it’s a shame they’re not pursuing it more,” said IU College Republicans Chairman and graduate student David White.\nMonroe County Republican Chairman Franklin Andrew said the decision is always left up to the prosecutor.\n“All we can do is point out areas of concern,” he said.\nAndrew said the party found some irregularities in voter registrations that needed to be investigated.\n“One of our concerns was people who registered to vote in the ‘80s and never voted,” Andrew said. “Then they suddenly decided to vote in ‘06.”\nThere were men who registered to vote from women’s floors at Forest Quad in the 1980s, Andrew said. These people never voted in a Monroe County election before but suddenly sent absentee ballots in the 2006 election.\nAndrew also said there used to be a series of green trailers across from Memorial Stadium that were used for student housing. Somebody registered to vote from that location in 1991, five years after the trailers were torn down. That individual voted in the 2004 election.\nBrown’s filing stated the 19 challenged absentee ballots were discussed during a meeting of the election board.\n“The board determined that there was no improper manipulation of any ballots,” according to the filing. “Although one of the board members later dissented from the earlier unanimous consensus of the three-person election board.”\nIndiana State Police detectives investigated the written challenges regarding the addresses of certain voters on precinct poll lists. In most of the challenge cases filed, the voter did not vote, according to Brown’s filing. In other cases, the challenge affidavits filed were based on inaccurate information.\nThe state Republican Party provided legal council as well as the funding necessary to handle the recount, Andrew said. \nAndrew said the only people he wants to see voting are those who have a legitimate right to do so in the community.\n“That’s what disenfranchises a voter,” Andrew said. “When their vote is negated by someone who doesn’t have a legitimate right to vote.”