Investigation finds votes cast after death

HARTFORD, Conn., April 21 (UPI) -- More than 300 people in Connecticut have apparently cast ballots after their death, journalism students found in an investigation.

Students at the University of Connecticut uncovered ballots cast by deceased voters as far back as 1994, the Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported Monday.

The students matched voter registration rolls against a database of dead people maintained by the state

Department of Public Health and the Social Security Administration, the newspaper said.

The investigation identified more than 8,500 people listed as dead who were still registered to vote in Connecticut.

"I understood (dead voters) as a myth," said Joan Andrews, enforcement director for the State Elections Enforcement Commission, which investigates elections and campaign finance irregularities. "People make jokes about dead people voting but we never thought things like that could actually happen."