Anderson gets green light on election challenge
Schererville town judge challenger has to prove voter fraud took place
NWI Times
Jul 11, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/anderson-gets-green-light-on-election-challenge/article_e55bc288-59ce-5d62-8d23-91fd4060b073.html
SCHERERVILLE -- A Lake County judge has handed a town judge challenger time and a microphone to prove that voter fraud, allegedly orchestrated by one man, kept him from winning May's primary.
Lake Superior Court Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura decided Thursday to move forward with Kenneth Anderson's election challenge, despite the argument from incumbent Judge Deborah Riga that it's too late.
Riga won the election by 11 votes. Anderson garnered more votes at the polls, but Riga eked out the lead with overwhelming support in absentee ballots.
Anderson tried to persuade an election panel in June to throw out more than 20 absentee votes in her favor. He showed the panel evidence four voters moved out of town years ago, with three of them now living in Illinois. He also said numerous signatures were blatantly forged.
But the election panel voted 2-1 to uphold the primary results, saying the apparent corruption wasn't rampant enough.
Bonaventura's ruling Thursday revitalizes Anderson's efforts to uncover what he believes is a stolen election.
The judge gave him 3-1/2 weeks to question absentee voters under oath and pin down the man he accuses of stealing votes -- Bob "Bosko" Grkinich.
"We are going to get all the evidence we can," Anderson said Thursday. "This is a nice step in the right direction."
Riga, who has been avoiding the media, told Bonaventura on Wednesday to throw out Anderson's challenge because state law said the hearing had to be held by June 25. Anderson's attorneys said she can ignore the deadline because they hadn't received election material for the investigation until June 20.
Bonaventura sided with Anderson in Thursday's ruling and also set up a hearing for his appeal to the election panel's decision. Both issues will move forward Aug. 6.
If Anderson convinces the judge corruption spoiled the election, Bonaventura could order a new election for the whole town, or just in the precinct the tainted ballots came from. She could not throw out votes, according to Kristi Robertson, co-director of the Secretary of State's Election Division.
However, the judge also could agree with Anderson's appeal to the election board's decision, and throw out all the votes from the contested precinct, which is in the east side Novo Selo neighborhood.
It is in that precinct Anderson alleges Grkinich stole the election.
The ballots in the name of three Illinois residents were mailed to the home of Gus and Roberta Flores, both of whom have ties to East Chicago politicians.
But Gus Flores has denied he knew about the ballots. Instead, he has suggested his brother-in-law, Grkinich, was behind it. Grkinich, a registered nurse, visits the home regularly to care for his ailing mother.
Grkinich has not returned phone calls, but he has told Gus Flores he will one day clear his name.
Allegedly, the handwriting on the ballots mailed to Flores' home match roughly 20 other absentee ballot applications from the east side precinct. And Anderson said many of those ballot signatures are forged, claiming Grkinich either voted for them or signed the application ballots. Both actions are illegal and would void a ballot.
But Anderson has yet to prove that theory.
During the next three weeks he said he will question all 24 of the mail-in voters from the Novo Selo neighborhood. Twenty-three of those ballots were in Riga's favor.
He also wants to question Grkinich under oath to tighten his case that the votes should be thrown out or the precinct revote.
In the end, the judge will decide whether Anderson's efforts prove rampant voter fraud.
Bonaventura's ruling on Anderson's appeal as well as his challenge also will determine who will hand out justice for traffic violations and minor crimes in Schererville for the next four years.
The Republicans failed to field a candidate for November's town judge election, handing whoever wins these court hearings the key to the courtroom.
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