Lawyers watch for breaches of election law

REPUBLICANS and Democrats yesterday despatched thousands of lawyers to potential election trouble spots — even as judges made 11th-hour changes to voting rules in Ohio, a state that could determine the presidency.

Democrats say they have 10,000 lawyers on hand while Republicans say they are monitoring 30,000 polling stations.

The Republicans won an overnight victory when a federal appeals court ruled they can challenge voters' qualifications at the polls in Ohio. A black couple challenging the Republican plan and a local Democratic Party in Ohio filed separate appeals to the Supreme Court yesterday.