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The local school levies are a bottomless pit of money...

Hamilton Journal-News

HAMILTON -- The Butler County Board of Elections Monday -- on the eve of a special election -- launched an investigation into possible voter fraud regarding absentee ballots.

Sixteen recent Fairfield High School graduates who had requested absentee ballots contacted the elections office last week to see if they could instead vote on the school district's levy at the polls, said Robert Mosketti, elections board director.

"We have received several complaints from students that they were provided absentee applications at graduation practice," he said. "According to these students, they were told to fill out an application and in some instances school personnel instructed them to vote absentee whether they were going to be out of the county or not."

The board of elections contacted the Ohio secretary of state's office, which instructed the board to conduct an investigation into the allegations.

At present, the probe is focused on those 16 absentee ballots, Mosketti said. Countywide, the elections board has mailed out 1,692 absentee ballots. As of Monday afternoon, 1,288 had been returned, he said.

Of those, "Fairfield had 1,476 mailed and returned 1,077," he said.

The investigation is not expected to result in any ballots being invalidated, nor is it expected to alter the outcome of the election, he said.

"We have contacted all 16 of those voters and instructed them that they may only be provided one ballot, that being their absentee ballot," he said.

The recent FHS graduates were told their only options were to either cast the absentee ballot or not cast any ballot in the special election, he said. All 16 decided to return their absentee ballots, he said.

In starting its investigation into the complaints, Mosketti said his office has taken statements and contacted the district superintendent, Robert Farrell.

Farrell said he was aware of the investigation, and said the district is cooperating fully. The findings will likely vindicate school personnel, he said.

Mosketti on Monday said he wasn't sure when the investigation would be complete. However, once finished, if necessary, findings would be forwarded to the Butler County Prosecutor's Office, he said.

In today's special election, voters in 84 county precincts will decide school levies in the Fairfield, Edgewood and Preble-Shawnee schools and a tax issue for the city of Monroe.