http://miva.dmregister.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?news/live/display.mv+direction=showstory&showrec=1

Johnson County absentee ballots found in Des Moines Posted at 7:44 on 12/06/2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Absentee ballots cast by 44 Johnson County residents were found in a locked box at Iowa Democratic Party headquarters in Des Moines a week after the Nov. 5 general election.

The sealed ballots were returned by courier to Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett the same day, Nov. 12, but under state law couldn’t be included in the county’s official canvass of the votes held Nov. 14.

‘‘In general, it’s frustrating because if you vote it’s for a reason,’’ said Sarah Lowen of Iowa City.

Lowen voted by absentee ballot because she was pregnant on Election Day, she said. Her ballot was picked up by a woman in Coralville, Lowen said.

Jean Hessburg, executive director of the Iowa Democratic Party, said Thursday the state party contacted voters who had requested absentee ballots but not returned them by mail, offering to pick up the ballots at their homes. Ballots collected in Johnson County were in a locked box for delivery on Election Day. That box turned up, still locked, a week later in Des Moines.

‘‘It’s regretful and truly unacceptable,’’ Hessburg said. She added that the Des Moines staff person responsible was reprimanded and no longer works for the party.

Five of the people whose ballots were not counted said their chosen candidates won even without their votes.

Joe Lang of Coralville said his and his wife’s ballots — both misplaced — probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

‘‘It’s kind of disturbing that we can file a ballot and then it’s not counted anyway,’’ he said.

Just how the ballots made their way to Des Moines and who handled them remain the subject of an ongoing investigation by Slockett and Assistant Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness.

‘‘This is a very serious situation,’’ Slockett said. ‘‘We intend to contact the people involved, once our fact-gathering is completed.’’

-- Associated Press

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2002

Answers

I would imagine that the people who submitted their ballots to this 'locked box' will be tying up the phone lines.

But, and this is weird, only 44 ballots? doesn't sound like ballot box stuffing to me.

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2002