09:45 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 8, 2004

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Secretary of State Matt Blunt has asked for the investigation and prosecution of people who voted twice after a newspaper uncovered fraud by as many as 300 Missouri voters.

Blunt announced Wednesday that he had sent a letter to Jackson County Prosecutor Michael Sanders asking him to investigate possible voter fraud documented in an article published by The Kansas City Star on Sunday.

The Star said its review of records show that as many as 300 people may have cast two ballots in Missouri in 2000 and 2002. The paper said it could not determine the exact number of double voters because many counties have shredded poll books, as state law permits, and state computer files are filled with errors.

The Star's story provided the names of a handful of people who apparently cast two ballots. Blunt asked that Sanders prosecute such offenders if election laws were violated.

"The only way to end election fraud is to punish its perpetrators," Blunt, the Republican nominee for governor against Democratic State Auditor Claire McCaskill, said in a news release. "We have made great strides in fighting fraud over the past four years and I remain committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that Missouri elections are above reproach."

In 2002, Blunt, the state's head election official, helped pass changes in Missouri's election laws to combat fraud. One change required people to present a photo identification before voting.

In Missouri, those who cast two ballots could face five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.