Questionable Absentee Ballots Lead To Criminal Charges

KOTA Territory News & The AP - 10/22/2004

Questionable absentee ballots across the state lead to criminal charges.

Six Republican notary publics face misdemeanors in connection with absentee ballot applications filled out on South Dakota college campuses.

Attorney General Larry Long says there's no evidence of voter fraud and Secretary of State Chris Nelson says his office and County Auditors are working to make sure every application is proper.

Joseph Alick, Nathan Mertz, Todd Schlekeway, Rachel Hoff, and Eric Fahrendorf are charged in Sioux Falls. Jennifer Giannonatti will be charged in Rapid City.

Jesse Abbott of Black Hills State Universtiry says Giannonatti signed off on his application to register and vote absentee.

Giannonatti and five others face charges for notarizing some absentee ballot applications without seeing the voter sign the document.

Long says the number of improper absentee requests range from a few hundred to more than a thousand. He says several democratic lawyers have already told him they plan to challenge the validity of those applications in court.

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