Investigation Finds Votes Cast By People Listed As Dead
Duane Pohlman, Newsnet5.com
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Among thousands of graves at Holy Cross Cemetery, Pohlman found the final resting place of Edward Wisniewski.
John Wisniewski lived next door to his brother for decades.
John Wisniewski said Edward Wisniewski has been buried at the cemetery since 2002. According to an election sign-in sheet, he cast a vote in the May primary.
NewsChannel5, in partnership with the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting, conducted one of the most extensive reviews ever of Cuyahoga County voting records, Pohlman reported. The process involved comparing more than 200,000 voters against death records reported by the Social Security Administration.
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich was stunned by what NewsChannel5 uncovered.
Pohlman reported the examination of the records revealed Wisniewski is not the only dead voter. In fact, 5 On Your Side uncovered 27 people who are dead, but votes were cast in their name anyway.
This is referred to as ghost voting -- people who vote for someone else.
Pohlman uncovered another example of ghost voting with Helen Kran. According to the Social Security Administration, she died in March 2005.
More than a year later, Kran voted in the May 2 primary.
"Yeah, it appears the individual that filled out their registration card and what they filled out on election day are not the same person," said Michael Vu, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
Pohlman reported other signatures, like Charles R. Morris, look identical to a signature on May 2 election documents.
Morris died 11 months before the primary.
Pohlman reported the most concerning case is Wisniewski.
It is considered a felony, and Kucinich considered it a very serious matter.
Kucinich is deeply disturbed by the results of the investigation.
"This documentation that you offer is very troubling because it clearly indicates that someone was using the identity of a dead person to cast a vote," Kucinich said.
Pohlman said ghost voting is large enough of a problem to sway the results of a close race and certainly undercuts the principal that every vote counts.
"That's an assault on the integrity on the electoral process," Kucinich said.
The 5 On Your Side investigation has prompted Vu to launch an investigation at the BOE.
"We will conduct an investigation and gather all the information that we need and then give it to the county prosecutors office for further investigation," he said.
Meanwhile, Wisniewski and many other citizens continue to wonder how this could happen.
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