Prosecutors have not filed criminal charges in the probe.

"There is not the evidence of an overriding conspiracy in all of this," U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic said.

The task force, however, did find evidence of sloppy record-keeping and poor training for poll workers, who were overwhelmed by thousands of absentee ballots. Biskupic said the faulty records will make it tough to prosecute many of the crimes.

Biskupic, the Milwaukee County district attorney, Milwaukee police and the FBI launched the probe after a newspaper investigation found more than 1,200 people voted from invalid addresses and that election officials were unable to process 1,300 same-day registration cards.

Democrat John Kerry received more than 71 percent of the 277,000 ballots cast in Milwaukee in the presidential race. Kerry won Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes by about 11,000 votes.

The review comes amid a partisan fight over plans to make voters show ID at the polls.

Wisconsin allows same-day registration, and those who already are registered can simply show up to vote without ID. The state also allows anyone to vote absentee without a reason, which caused long lines and headaches for clerks around the state before Nov. 2.

Both the GOP-controlled houses of the state Legislature passed bills this year that would have required ID. Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, vetoed them. Now Republicans want to amend the state constitution to require voter ID.

Doyle said Tuesday a voter ID requirement wouldn't have solved any of Milwaukee's Election Day problems, which he attributed to "bureaucratic mistakes, poor management and lack of training among the poll workers."

© 2005 Associated Press

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2004 Elections