Northwest Indiana News: nwitimes.com

And as a followup:

Up to 1,600 voters on rolls are dead or nonresidents

Hearing sought to prevent 'massive' voter fraud in E.C.

EAST CHICAGO POLITICS: Up to 1,600 voters on rolls are dead or nonresidents.

BY JOE CARLSON
Times Staff Writer

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, October 22, 2004 12:15 AM CDT

EAST CHICAGO -- Fearing the potential for 'massive voter fraud' next week, Mayor Robert Pastrick's attorney wants a judge to issue strict rules to deal with about 1,600 registered voters who are either dead or live outside the city.

In particular, the Pastrick campaign wants special Lake Superior Court Judge Steven King to clarify how poll workers will distribute and tally provisional paper ballots for voters whose eligibility is in question.
Both candidates in the mayoral contest are allowed to post challengers at all 37 precincts in the city to screen voters. Those whose legitimacy is challenged will have to vote on paper, and eligibility must be proven before the vote is officially counted.

Ned Ruff, attorney for challenger George Pabey, said Thursday's request for an emergency hearing with King is an attempt to discourage legitimate voters and set a legal framework for challenging Pabey supporters' votes.

Tuesday's special election is a do-over of the 2003 Democratic primary, which was thrown out by the state Supreme Court after the Pabey campaign found evidence that Pastrick supporters had systematically manipulated the absentee ballot system to steal the election.

Although voters who went to polls in 2003 favored Pabey, Pastrick was deemed the winner of the election because absentee ballots gave him a 237-vote majority.

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