Phony voter registrations lead to charges

AKRON (AP) -- A woman accused of filling out phony voter registration cards during last year's hotly contested presidential campaign has been charged with fraud.
Ohio was a major battleground state in the 2004 presidential race. Political parties, outside groups and others spent months trying to register voters here. Some paid people per voter card, and some election officials have said they believe it contributed to widespread fraud.
The Summit County Board of Elections in Akron received more than 800 faulty registration cards -- many with false addresses and fake names filled out in the same handwriting.
After the fraud was discovered, a task force of state, federal and local investigators looked into the matter.
Summit County sheriff's Detective Ed Gruska said when the federal grand jury failed to indict anyone, local cases were sent back to individual police departments to pursue state charges.
Last week, a Summit County grand jury indicted Shannon Marie Davis, 27, of Akron, on charges of voter registration fraud, a felony. She was released on a $2,500 signature bond.
A telephone number for Davis' home was not working Tuesday.
Local and state investigations continue elsewhere.