Absentee-ballot discrepancies probed

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Hamilton County prosecutor has begun an investigation into discrepancies with dozens of absentee-ballot applications submitted by a group campaigning for casinos in Cincinnati and three other cities.

Prosecutor Joseph Deters told The Cincinnati Enquirer he plans to take the matter to a grand jury.

Deters said deputy sheriffs seized documents in a Monday raid on the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee office. The group is campaigning for the Nov. 3 ballot issue to allow casinos in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo.

Committee chairman Charlie Luken said in a statement that the group recently became aware of irregularities involving a worker for a national vendor hired by the committee to canvass voters. He said the worker’s job was to go door to door and submit absentee-ballot applications when the voter asked. The worker has since been fired.

Deters said the committee was cooperating with the investigation, and he did not know yet if only one person was involved.

Workers at the Hamilton County Board of Elections noticed discrepancies in 38 mailed-in applications last week. Most of the discrepancies involved birthdates and signatures that did not match election records. The applications asked, however, that the ballots be sent to the applicant’s home address.

Election workers contacted several people whose names were on the applications and were told by the voters that they had not requested an absentee ballot and hadn’t authorized anyone to do so for them.

Sandy Theis of TruthPAC, an anti- casino group, said each election board in Ohio should examine ballot requests submitted by canvassers.