Blackwell Judges Himself Innocent Again

Ohio's top elections official found no evidence to support claims that voting irregularities helped House Speaker Larry Householder win the race for Perry County auditor, a spokesman said Monday.

The accusations, which surfaced in a recent lawsuit that seeks to overturn Householder's narrow victory, caused Secretary of State Ken Blackwell to dispatch longtime Director of Elections Patricia Wolfe to Perry County.

"After an exhaustive review, she found no evidence of any fraud," just technical glitches and poll workers in need of additional training, said Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo.

Filed on behalf of Householder's opponent, Bill Crane, the lawsuit contends that the number of votes cast exceeded the number of people who signed voting books in at least 11 of the county's 46 precincts.