Voter fraud in Ohio
Vote fraud in 1976 presidential election. The margin between Ford and Carter in Ohio was less than 15,000 votes and whichever candidate won Ohio, won the election.
Immediately after the November 2 election, the Republican Party provided a small group of activists with legal support for a challenge.
A random check of voter registrations in precincts of the city of Cincinnati was conducted as follows. The Board of Elections provided researchers with lists of voters who actually voted in the presidential election only days prior. The registration card for each voter was then pulled and researchers personally traveled to the address listed on the voter's registration card.
Results: a significant percentage of the addresses listed for voters were nonexistent, or the individual listing the address as home did not live at the address. In the case of nonexistent addresses, the street number did not correspond to a building (43 Main street listed, but numbers ran 35, 40, 45, 50), the building at the address had previously been demolished, or the address was not a residential location (voter "Roosevelt Nixon" listed the city's transit parking lot as home address).
Legal action was taken in the form of a request for an injunction to halt the certification of the Ohio election results until the effect of fraud could be determined and corrected. The case was heard in Columbus, Ohio. The judge conceded that the evidence of fraud was overwhelming and well documented, but given that the entire national election hinged on his decision, was not willing to issue the injunction. He suggested instead that the Board of Elections conduct an audit and remove improper or nonexistent voters from the rolls prior to the next election.
This case is significant because it involves voters with improper registrations who actually voted in the election, rather than improper voter registrations caught prior to an election.
