Panel upholds judge election
Officials find voter fraud, but say nothing can be done
NWI Times
Jun 28, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/panel-upholds-judge-election/article_a75d7114-861c-5e92-8381-218c17baae7f.html
CROWN POINT -- Despite saying voter fraud clearly took place in up to nine instances, a split election panel Friday upheld the 11-vote win of incumbent Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga in May's Democratic primary.
Opponent Kenneth Anderson, a Schererville attorney, fought to convince the three-member panel that a local precinct committeeman hijacked the election by signing up out-of-district voters and tainting the mail-in ballots of east side Serbian voters.
He presented the panel with evidence that four voters resided outside the district, with three of them living in Illinois. He said the person who filled out applications for those voters also filled out applications for up to 18 other voters in the heavily Serbian 10th Precinct. Many of those signatures were blatantly forged, he said.
The panel agreed with him. In fact, some of Riga's witnesses admitted that Bob "Bosko" Grkinich, who is accused of signing up the illegal voters, also approached them with the applications, and that he was in discussions with Riga, her attorney and nearly a dozen witnesses just before the hearing.
Anderson was hoping the panel would throw out the entire 10th Precinct. Twenty-three of the 24 mail-in voters from that area favored Riga. If they were trashed, Anderson would have won.
But the panel voted 2-1 that the evidence of corruption was not strong enough to justify ignoring them all.
Furthermore, the panel decided it didn't have the power to just toss out single votes, even if they were clearly illegal. On numerous occasions the members wondered aloud about their legal authority, in some cases asking the attorneys for advice.
Anderson can appeal the decision to a trial judge but has not yet decided his next move, if there is one.
"Without the illegal acts of one individual I would have won the election," Anderson said.
Anderson also contested seven signatures on ballots in other areas of Schererville. Riga's attorney lined up witnesses who dismissed those accusations.
But Riga's witnesses for the 10th Precinct were few. Riga also didn't contest the illegal votes, one of which evidently lived at a Crown Point address. The other three live in Norridge, Ill.
"There is never going to be a perfect election," said Robert Vann, Riga's attorney. "No candidate is entitled to a perfect election. If every election was looked at in this manner we would never elect anybody."
Vann said throwing out the entire precinct would leave the legal voters burned. Plus, he said there was no proof the other applications apparently filled out by Grkinich were tainted. Grkinich could not be reached for comment two days in a row.
The ballots applied for in the name of the Illinois residents and alleged to be filled out by Grkinich were directed to the Crown Point home of Grkinich's sister, Roberta Flores. Her husband, Gus Flores, said they had nothing to do with the ballot fiasco, but instead pointed the finger at Grkinich, who, as a nurse, visits the house regularly to care for their mother.
"You can bet I'm going to get to the bottom of this," he said during an interview Thursday.
Anderson also presented evidence Friday that a woman claiming to live on the east side of Schererville actually lives out of district in Crown Point. The application for that ballot, like many of the others, was allegedly filled out by Grkinich.
Yet, east side resident Petar Dragjevic told election judges Friday he and his family signed their own ballots, even though Grkinich filled out the applications and Anderson said they where forged.
He also said Grkinich was part of a huddle between Riga and her witnesses before the hearing.
"He was here," he said in broken English. "I see him this morning."
Riga left the hearing before speaking with the press. Vann denied he knew Grkinich.
As required by law, the election panel consisted of one Democrat, one Republican and a election department mechanic. The two political party members agreed that as many as five of the ballot signatures were different than the application signatures. They also agreed the four votes from out of town where illegal.
But it wasn't enough.
"I don't like some of the things I've seen," Republican member Joseph Allegretti said. "But I'm just not ready to go that far."
However, the election department mechanic believes Anderson's version of the story.
"I've just got this gut feeling whoever initiated this campaign tactic got a little too aggressive," said Steve Matalin. "They got so aggressive they brought in these out-of-towners. That makes your eyebrows raise. What else did they do?"
Riga's victory upheld
Absentee ballots count in Schererville judge race
NWI Times
June 27, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/riga-s-victory-upheld/article_ef5255c8-dea9-5430-8490-d6283de0b2e4.html
CROWN POINT --- Despite saying voter fraud clearly took place in up to 9 instances, a split election panel Thursday upheld the 11-vote win of incumbent Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga in May's Democratic primary.
Opponent Kenneth Anderson, a Schererville attorney, presented the panel with evidence that four voters lived outside the district, with three of them living in Illinois. He contended that the person who filled out applications for those voters also filled out applications for up to 18 other voters in a heavily Serbian precinct on the east side of town. He also said some of those signatures were blatantly forged.
The panel agreed with him. In fact, witnesses brought in on behalf of Riga admitted the local Serbian political novice who signed up illegal voters also approached them with the applications, and that he was in discussions with Riga, her attorney and nearly a dozen witnesses just before the hearing.
But the panel voted 2-1 that the evidence of corruption was not pervasive enough to justify throwing out all 24 absentee ballots from that precinct. Anderson can appeal to a trial judge but has not yet decided his next move, if there is one.
"Without the illegal acts of one individual I would have won the election," Anderson said.
Voter fraud evidence builds
Decision on Schererville judge race set for today
NWI Times
Jun 27, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/voter-fraud-evidence-builds/article_ce2884d0-2ba6-53ca-814e-2da1e60084be.html
SCHERERVILLE -- Claims of voter fraud and leads on the alleged culprit continue to pile up as officials debate today whether to throw out potentially tainted votes from the tight Democratic primary election for town judge.
Kenneth Anderson is challenging incumbent Town Judge Deborah Riga's 11-vote win in May's primary election. While Anderson won at the polls, Riga eked out a slim victory by a flood of absentee votes in her favor.
Anderson contends many of those votes are fraudulent and should be thrown out, crowning him the Democratic primary winner in a contest with no current Republican opposition. The election panel is set to meet today to hear Riga's rebuttal and make a final decision. Today is the state deadline to change election results.
In all, Anderson wants at least 30 votes thrown out, with the majority of those coming from residents of East European descent on the east side of Schererville.
Anderson said he has evidence that four voters from that area don't live in the district. Three of those evidently fraudulent ballots may be linked to a local man of Serbian descent with political ambitions, but tough luck at the polls.
Anderson said the person who filled out applications for those ballots also filled out applications for 15 other ballots, calling their authenticity into question as well. He has told the election panel most of those signatures are forged.
On Wednesday, Anderson showed an election board evidence that three absentee voters with the same last name have actually lived in Norridge, Ill., for two years. A person who answered the phone at that address confirmed that to The Times, but declined further comment.
And Thursday, Anderson said he uncovered another out-of-town voter, who he says claimed to live in east Schererville, but has actually lived in Crown Point for six years. A person at the Crown Point address confirmed the alleged voter lived there, but a message that was left was not returned.
In the Illinois voters' case, applications for the ballots requested that they be directed to a Crown Point address where Gus and Roberta Flores live.
The Floreses have strong roots in the area's Serbian population. Roberta is Serbian. The two also have political connections.
Gus Flores is an ex-East Chicago police chief and a top administrator in a company owned by Lake County Auditor Stephen Stiglich, a Democrat. Roberta is his personal secretary.
However, Gus Flores said he and his wife have nothing to do with the absentee ballot fiasco, instead alluding to possible involvement by his brother in-law, Bob "Bosko" Grkinich, a political novice in the area's Serbian community.
A vast majority of the contested signatures are for names of East European origin, as are the four individuals listed as requesting ballots while not living in the district.
"I don't know anything about those ballots. I never saw them. My wife never saw them," Gus Flores said.
"I've heard Bosko may have something to do with it. Does he? I don't know. But you can be sure I'm going to find out."
Grkinich and Riga did not return messages left at their residences.
Grkinich, a registered nurse, goes to the Floreses' Crown Point home regularly to care for his mother, who also lives in the home, Gus Flores said.
Grkinich is a Democratic precinct committeeman in Schererville. He also ran in but lost the 2000 Lake County coroner's race against David Pastrick, the son of East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick.
Most recently, he lost an election for St. John Township assessor in the fall of 2002.
If Anderson can prove Schererville's 10th Precinct on the east side was festering with tampered absentee ballots, the election panel could throw out all 23 mail-in ballots from the precinct. Twenty-two of those were in favor of Riga.
"This is an assault on democracy, and it is one of the great crimes that this country faces," Anderson said. "Every hour we are getting additional information from the public on apparent misuse of absentee ballots."
Judicial candidate presents fraud case
Challenger questions 30 ballots; 12 thrown out would give him the win
NWI Times
Jun 26, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/judicial-candidate-presents-fraud-case/article_7fa2801a-6fb2-5771-b3bd-49cd0c0a1641.html
CROWN POINT - The candidate who lost by a sliver in May's Democratic primary election for Schererville town judge disputed dozens of mail-in ballots Wednesday and revealed evidence apparently showing at least three voters do not live in the state.
In all, Kenneth Anderson tried to convince a Lake County election board panel that 30 ballots should be disqualified. Anderson lost the Democratic primary to incumbent Deborah Riga by 11 votes. Riga lost at the polls, but was able to gain the slim victory with absentee votes.
Anderson is only contesting absentee votes and believes he has proof voter fraud took place.
"There are people trying to steal an election here," Anderson said before Wednesday's hearing. "This is the worst form of theft in the U.S., when people are out there falsifying elections."
Riga refused to speak to the press. However, Nick Thiros, one of her attorneys, said Riga feels the election was won "fair and square."
The election board panel held off its decision Wednesday to allow Riga time to defend against Anderson's accusations on Friday, which is the deadline to change election results.
The cornerstone of Anderson's case is the 10th Precinct on the east side of Schererville, where 23 voters mailed in absentee ballots supporting Riga and only one voted for him.
He is hoping to get all the absentee votes in that precinct thrown out, which could happen if he proves that area's election was awash in strong-armed votes and fraudulent ballots.
Anderson, who is a Schererville lawyer, presented documents to the panel showing three absentee voters supposedly from the same household in the 10th District did not live in Schererville. The voters, using a Schererville address, allegedly requested their ballots be sent to Crown Point. But they moved to Norridge, Ill., two years ago, according to documents presented to the panel.
In addition, the current residents of the house voted at the polls on election day, polling records show.
A person contacted at the Norridge address confirmed the family had moved there from the Schererville address two years ago, but declined to comment further. Messages left at the Crown Point address were not returned.
Anderson said 18 applications from the 10th Precinct appear to be filled out, at least in part, by the person who filled out the Illinoisans' ballot applications. And in one of those cases, the voter's name was misspelled and signed backward - first name last - on the ballot.
In other precincts, Anderson said he found five instances where he thinks the signatures on ballot applications and ballots do not match. In two more instances, voters did not sign the correct part of the absentee ballot.
If the election panel decides to throw out all 23 of the 10th Precinct's ballots, or even 12 absentee ballots all together, Anderson will win the primary. There are currently no Republican candidates lined up for the general election.
A decision is expected at Friday's meeting when Riga's lawyers are expected to bring in voters whose signatures are disputed.
S'ville judge race recount stalls
Parties waiting for court hearing in Democratic primary election
NWI Times
Jun 5, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/s-ville-judge-race-recount-stalls/article_e1385bd3-e748-5451-aafa-7e7549954c66.html
SCHERERVILLE -- Attorney Kenneth Anderson's recount case in the Democratic primary for Schererville Town Court judge is in a holding pattern until a court hearing can been set.
Anderson lost by 11 votes to incumbent Judge Deborah Riga. Although Anderson garnered more votes at the polls, Riga's absentee ballots put her over the top. He had 80 more votes at the polls, but Riga had three times as many absentee ballots.
Anderson's attorney, David Cerven, said Wednesday that a hearing likely will be held in Lake Circuit Court next week whereby a recount commission will be appointed. The commission will consist of one Democrat, one Republican and likely an election mechanic, he said. If the two parties cannot come to an agreement over the commission's membership, the judge will make the decision.
The case is now before Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura.
The absentee balloting process is at the core of Anderson's case. Cerven said he doesn't have any evidence to substantiate claims of voter fraud, but is yet to complete the discovery process.
By statute, the recount must be completed by June 27. Cerven said he's disappointed the process hasn't moved faster.
