State finds no fraud in Householder's election as Perry County auditor

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There was no evidence of vote fraud in the election of outgoing House Speaker Larry Householder as Perry County auditor, an investigation by the office of Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell found.


The review found technical problems and a need for more training for poll workers in the central Ohio county, Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo said Tuesday. None of those problems would affect Householder's 277-vote win over Democrat William Crane in the Nov. 2 election, he said.

A lawsuit filed on Crane's behalf Dec. 16 in Perry County Common Pleas Court sought to overturn the results by alleging that the number of ballots exceeded the number of people who signed voting books in at least 11 of 46 precincts.

The challenge also said the signatures of 359 voters weren't verified as required by law.

LoParo attributed the discrepancies mainly to voting books that did not contain the signatures of some registered voters.

Patricia Wolfe, Blackwell's elections director, spent two days interviewing poll workers and election officials, LoParo said.

"She found there was no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing," he said. "There were some issues that Perry County could do better in future elections."

Householder is barred by term limits from seeking another House term. He was not immediately available Tuesday, spokeswoman Karen Tabor said.

Crane, the county's appointed auditor, should be allowed to stay in office, Michael Kolman, a Columbus attorney who filed the lawsuit, has said. A message seeking comment was left for Kolman on Tuesday.

The elections board certified the results of a recount in the race Dec. 8.

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