January 18, 2006

New Frontier: DNA Testing in Election Disputes

"In a town election where some votes were reportedly bought and others were stolen, whoever licked the envelope containing a disputed absentee ballot might also have sealed his own fate.

Authorities have obtained a saliva sample from a supporter of one of the candidates for Appalachia Town Council in May 2004. They hope to use DNA testing to determine whether the man sealed an absentee ballot that was reportedly taken from a voter's mailbox, filled out and fraudulently submitted in her name.

The sample was taken from the man late last year, according to a search warrant filed in Wise County Circuit Court.

The warrant details an encounter between the man and Christina McKinney, the resident of a government-subsidized apartment complex whose allegations of vote buying and ballot theft launched a state police investigation nearly two years ago."

You can read the story here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at January 18, 2006 09:00 AM