Polygraph Dragnet Fails in Ohio Election Probe

[George W. Maschke]

Ed Meyer of the Akron, Ohio Beacon Journal reports in an article titled, "Election Petition Probe Closes" (25 Nov. 2003) that an investigation of the Summit County Board of Elections that included the polygraph "testing" of 11 employees has been closed without having identified the person(s) responsible for the disappearance of an Akron city councilman's nomination petitions. The entire article is cited here for discussion purposes:

Posted on Tue, Nov. 25, 2003  

Election petition probe closes
Summit Sheriff's Office finds no leads to charge anyone in Finley case
By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer

An investigation into an Akron city councilman's nominating petitions that disappeared from the Summit County Board of Elections ended Monday without charges being filed.

Inspector Keith Thornton, head of the Summit County sheriff's detective bureau, said no new leads arose after investigators interviewed 47 people who worked at the board.

``We're not going to keep kicking something when we're not going anywhere,'' Thornton said.

The investigation began more than four months ago after Councilman Joe Finley, D-2, discovered his petitions were missing when he went to the board's Grant Street office to have them filed minutes before the deadline, 4 p.m. June 26. He had submitted the petitions earlier that week for signature verification.

A judge ultimately ordered that Finley should be placed on the ballot, and elections board officials asked the sheriff's office to investigate the disappearance of the forms.

In addition to the interviews, Thornton said, investigators conducted two searches of the board's office and gave 11 lie-detector tests.

``We interviewed as many people as we possibly could that were even remotely affiliated with the place,'' he said.

There was no evidence of lies or schemes related to the missing petitions, Thornton said.

Finley said Monday that he had learned only recently through a reporter that the investigation was over. He said the failure to arrest anyone for what he believes is theft leaves a blemish on the integrity of the board of elections.

``... It leaves a cloud of doubt down at the board of elections, because obviously if it was done to me and they didn't find the culprit, it can happen again.''

Thornton urged anyone with information to call the sheriff's detective bureau at 330-643-2131 or 330-643-8643.

Finley, an Akron teacher who has been a critic of Mayor Don Plusquellic, won re-election to his council seat three weeks ago, easily defeating Republican Brian Deeken.


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Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com  

It is worth noting that although inspector Keith Thornton now says that there was "no evidence of lies," at least one of the 11 persons polygraphed "failed" and was accused by polygraph operator Bill Evans, who conducted the "tests," of having employed countermeasures. See the Polygraph News for 1 October 2003 for additional details.

[Canadian Crusader]

Now those are countermeasures I am sure most people could easily employ.  In particular the alcohol.  Don't polygraph me on a Friday or Saturday night!