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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Siblings Lose Bid to Get Their Ballots Counted

CHICAGO (CN) - A brother and sister were not improperly denied their right to vote when elections officials threw out their ballots because they listed their parents' home address, the 7th Circuit ruled.

Wesley Jr. and Nicole Kozuszek voted in Porter, Ind., where their mother was running for town council president. However, the police chief in nearby Chesterton, George Nelson, noticed that Wesley listed a Chesterton address after his car was stolen.

Nelson mentioned the discrepancy to Republican county election board member Dale Brewer, who successfully challenged the Kozuszeks' votes, which the poll inspector threw out.

Judge Williams upheld the district court's ruling that Brewer and Nelson did not conspire to deprive the Kozuszeks of their right to vote.

"Nelson simply reported a possible instance of voter fraud to an appropriate person who could handle the matter," Williams ruled. "While Brewer could have started looking into Wesley's inconsistent addresses after talking with Nelson a week before the election, she was not required to do so."

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