Gold9472
11-22-2005, 11:14 PM
US sues Missouri over voters in 2004 election
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2005-11-23T021708Z_01_MCC308178_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTION-MISSOURI-LAWSUIT.xml
Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:17 PM ET
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri, a swing state won easily by President George W. Bush, for voting violations in the 2004 election, including registering more people to vote in some counties than their entire voting-age population.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, said 29 Missouri counties and election jurisdictions had more people registered to vote than there actually were people of voting age living in those areas.
One Missouri county, for instance, showed voter registrations that amounted to more than 150 percent of the true voting-age population in that county.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan acknowledged the voting irregularities in the 2004 federal election but said in a statement that the Justice Department's decision to file suit was costly and unjustified as the state was working to correct its voters rolls.
"Clearly, a problem exists. It defies common sense that we would have more registered voters than people of voting age in any Missouri county," said Carnahan. "The Secretary of State's office and the Department of Justice share the same goal of ensuring fair and accurate elections."
The lawsuit also alleges that some voters were removed from registration lists without notification, in violation of the law, while some ineligible voters were not removed.
Missouri was considered among a number of potential swing states in the 2004 election, but ended up with 53 percent voting for Bush and 46 percent going to challenger John Kerry.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2005-11-23T021708Z_01_MCC308178_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTION-MISSOURI-LAWSUIT.xml
Tue Nov 22, 2005 9:17 PM ET
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri, a swing state won easily by President George W. Bush, for voting violations in the 2004 election, including registering more people to vote in some counties than their entire voting-age population.
The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, said 29 Missouri counties and election jurisdictions had more people registered to vote than there actually were people of voting age living in those areas.
One Missouri county, for instance, showed voter registrations that amounted to more than 150 percent of the true voting-age population in that county.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan acknowledged the voting irregularities in the 2004 federal election but said in a statement that the Justice Department's decision to file suit was costly and unjustified as the state was working to correct its voters rolls.
"Clearly, a problem exists. It defies common sense that we would have more registered voters than people of voting age in any Missouri county," said Carnahan. "The Secretary of State's office and the Department of Justice share the same goal of ensuring fair and accurate elections."
The lawsuit also alleges that some voters were removed from registration lists without notification, in violation of the law, while some ineligible voters were not removed.
Missouri was considered among a number of potential swing states in the 2004 election, but ended up with 53 percent voting for Bush and 46 percent going to challenger John Kerry.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.