Ohio Election Workers Convicted of
Manipulating 2004 U.S. Presidential Recount

International Herald Tribune / AP 24jan2007

Jacqueline Maiden, center, stands with Rosie Grier, left, and Kathleen Dreamer, during court proceedings, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007, in Cleveland. Maiden, who was the elections board's third-highest ranking employee, faces six counts of misconduct over how ballots were reviewed in Cuyahoga County in the 2004 presidential election. Grier, manager of the board's ballot department, and Kathleen Dreamer, an assistant manager, face the same charges. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) (Tony Dejak)

CLEVELAND — Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of manipulating a recount of the 2004 U.S. presidential election to avoid a more thorough ballot review in Ohio's most populous county.

Ohio gave U.S. President George W. Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat Democratic Senator John Kerry in the close election and hold on to the White House. However, a special prosecutor did not claim that the workers' actions affected the election's outcome.

Jacqueline Maiden, elections coordinator of the Cuyahoga County Elections Board, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer each were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct of an elections employee. They also were convicted of one misdemeanor count each of failure of elections employees to perform their duty.

Prosecutors accused Maiden and Dreamer of secretly reviewing preselected ballots before a public recount on Dec. 16, 2004. They worked behind closed doors for three days to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand, prosecutors said.

Defense attorney Roger Synenberg has said the workers were following procedures as they understood them.

Kerry gained 17 votes and Bush lost six in the county's recount.

Maiden and Dreamer, who still work for the elections board, face a possible sentence of six to 18 months for the felony conviction. Sentencing is Feb. 26.

source:  24jan2006

Ohio Election Workers Convicted of
Rigging ’04 Presidential Recount

M.R. KROPKO / AP / Boston Herald 24jan2007

CLEVELAND - Two election workers were convicted Wednesday of rigging a recount of the 2004 presidential election to avoid a more thorough review in Ohio’s most populous county.

Jacqueline Maiden, elections coordinator of the Cuyahoga County Elections Board, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer each were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct of an elections employee. They also were convicted of one misdemeanor count each of failure of elections employees to perform their duty.

Prosecutors accused Maiden and Dreamer of secretly reviewing preselected ballots before a public recount on Dec. 16, 2004. They worked behind closed doors for three days to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand, prosecutors said.

Defense attorney Roger Synenberg has said the workers were following procedures as they understood them.

Ohio gave President Bush the electoral votes he needed to defeat Democratic Sen. John Kerry in the close election and hold on to the White House in 2004.

Special prosecutor Kevin Baxter did not claim the workers’ actions affected the outcome of the election - Kerry gained 17 votes and Bush lost six in the county’s recount.

Maiden and Dreamer, who still work for the elections board, face a possible sentence of six to 18 months for the felony conviction. Sentencing is on Feb. 26.

A message left for Elections Board Director Michael Vu was not immediately returned Wednesday. The board released a statement that said its goal is to restore confidence in the county’s election progress and pursue reforms in addition to those made since 2004.

source:  24jan2007

Jury Reaches Split Decision
In BOE Misconduct Trial

Channel 5 News (Akron OH) 24jan2007

CLEVELAND -- The jury reached a verdict Wednesday in the trial of three Cuyahoga County Board of Elections workers accused of mishandling the 2004 presidential election recount.

The verdict was split, with two of the workers being found guilty on some of the charges, and the third found not guilty.

The three were charged with six counts each of misconduct. The charges alleged that Ohio laws were not followed in the selection and review of ballots for the recount. The most serious charges carry a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.

Rosie Grier, the assistant manager of the board's ballot department, was acquitted on all the charges against her.

The two other workers were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct. Jacqueline Maiden is the elections coordinator who was the board's third-highest ranking employee when she was indicted last March. The other is ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer.

Both also were each convicted of a misdemeanor count of failure of an elections employee to perform her duty and each acquitted of five counts.

Both were acquitted of five other charges.

Grier, though happy with her acquittal, said she refuses to let her vindication overshadow her coworkers.

"I think they're just as innocent as I am. Because we did nothing wrong, none of us did anything wrong. None of us should have been here," she said.

All three employees have been on paid leave from the board, which has defended the workers, saying the employees did not knowingly commit fraud or break any laws.

Maiden and Dreamer have both lost their jobs at the BOE as a result of their convictions. They are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 26.

source: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/10835552/detail.html 24jan2007

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