Mass. secretary of state says Senate voting irregularity reports explainable, not wide
By APTuesday, January 19, 2010
Mass. secretary of state dismissed vote problems
BOSTON — The Massachusetts secretary of state is discounting reports of voter irregularities in the state’s Senate special election.
A spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin said Tuesday two reports of spoiled ballots could not be verified or found to be widespread.
In one case, someone voting in Cambridge claimed a ballot had already been marked for Republican Scott Brown. There was no way to verify the claim, but the ballot was destroyed.
In another case, a person in Boston reported finding a ballot inside a privacy folder also marked for Brown. Officials say it may have been left inadvertently by an earlier voter.
Aides to Democrat Martha Coakley called a news conference to raise voter awareness of the concerns.
