[Texgreen] Ohio election workers convicted of rigging '04 presidential recount

[Roger Baker]

<http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070124-1508-=20
electionworkers-trial.html>


Ohio election workers convicted of rigging '04 presidential recount

By M.R. Kropko
ASSOCIATED PRESS

3:08 p.m. January 24, 2007

CLEVELAND =96 Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of rigging =20=

a recount of the 2004 presidential election to avoid a more thorough =20
review in Ohio's most populous county.
Jacqueline Maiden, elections coordinator of the Cuyahoga County =20
Elections Board, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer each were =20
convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct of an elections =20
employee. They also were convicted of one misdemeanor count each of =20
failure of elections employees to perform their duty.
Prosecutors accused Maiden and Dreamer of secretly reviewing =20
preselected ballots before a public recount on Dec. 16, 2004. They =20
worked behind closed doors for three days to pick ballots they knew =20
would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Roger Synenberg has said the workers were following =20
procedures as they understood them.
Ohio gave President Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat =20
Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the close election and hold on to the =20
White House in 2004.
Special prosecutor Kevin Baxter did not claim the workers' actions =20
affected the outcome of the election =96 Kerry gained 17 votes and Bush =20=

lost six in the county's recount.
Maiden and Dreamer, who still work for the elections board, face a =20
possible sentence of six to 18 months for the felony conviction. =20
Sentencing is on Feb. 26.
A message left for Elections Board Director Michael Vu was not =20
immediately returned Wednesday. The board released a statement that =20
said its goal is to restore confidence in the county's election =20
progress and pursue reforms in addition to those made since 2004.