Woman indicted on voter-fraud charges

Thursday, 19 November 2009 12:44

By James Nash of THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

A 24-year-old Columbus woman was indicted today for allegedly falsifying applications for absentee ballots for the casino issue that passed Nov. 3.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien announced that a grand jury indicted Deshara M. McKinney, 24, on two counts of voter fraud for securing false signatures.

McKinney fraudulently filled out two applications for absentee ballots by signing the names of two registered voters, O'Brien's office said. She worked with FieldWorks, a campaign management company hired by supporters of the casino issue to canvass voters.

FieldWorks resigned from the casino campaign two weeks before the election after evidence of voter fraud surfaced in Hamilton County.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph T. Deters said a worker for FieldWorks was indicted there for allegedly forging signatures on applications for absentee ballots.

The casino measure won with 53 percent of the vote Nov. 3.

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