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WEST VIRGINIA- Local republicans get a slap on the wrist after they are accused of trying to persuade democrats not to vote. Most polls show that the race between President George W Bush and Sen. J ohn Kerry is still very close in West Virginia, and each camp is going t he distance to clench a victory for their candidate. But now, election officials believe some in the Eastern Panhandle are goi ng too far. In a letter, Berkeley County clerk John Smalls cites calls from a cell ph one were made to Eastern Panhandle democrats telling them that they were not registered to vote. The letter also said the calls informed democra ts in some cases they wouldnt be able to vote on Election Day. John Ott is the top election official in Jefferson County. "This is an im proper act and they should notify the proper authorities," he said. Its considered an improper act because when upset citizens called the vo ter registration office to make sure they were registered to vote, indee d they were. The Berkeley County Cl erks Office traced the number voters gave as the source back to the Eas tern Panhandle Republican Headquarters. "Whenever you give misinformation to encourage voters to stay home, we al l suffer as a result," said John Fink with the Berkeley County democrati c executive committee. John Fink, who is with the Kerry Campaign, is concerned more about the ef fect of the calls than the callers. "They really muddy the water with information or misinformation in this c ase that theyre putting out about the election process. There still is a large number of people we need to get into the fold. Now were democra ts and republicans, but after the election were all Americans," said Fi nk. Republican spokesperson Mary Diamond said the calls may have been an unfo rtunate part of a larger goal. "The purpose of the calls is to make sure everyone is registered to vote. Everyone needs to be registered to vote in this election, its as simple as that," said Diamond. Sources inside West Virginias Republican Party said the calls arent mad e along party lines and the misinformation may have just been an oversig ht. Dugan is remembered as a gentleman and a public servant who put others be fore himself. The republican served one term in the senate from 1994 to 1998.
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