Petition fraud, right here in Cincinnati

Sharon Coolidge reports:

A Hamilton County grand jury indicted two women for elections fraud Thursday, accusing them of falsifying several signatures on petitions to put a referendum on whether gays should be protected against discrimination in employment and housing on the November ballot last year.
Ultimately the issue did not make it to the ballot.

A local attorney challenged signatures on the petition, prompting an investigation into possible falsification by the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Lois Mingo and Precilla Ward were each indicted on a charge of election falsification, according to court documents. Ward was indicted on a second charge of writing a false signature on an election document.

Each charge carries a possible year prison term.