Petty futility: It's a New Albany political birthright.

During the 2011 Democratic primary, advocating a bizarre platform of municipal dictatorship by the street department, Paul Etheridge didn't have a snowball's chance in Guam of winning the nomination for mayor. Chicanery or none, he couldn't even finish ahead of the race's Trojan Horse Republican, Irv Stumler. Now the Floyd County prosecutor says that Etheridge may have been hoeing the wrong rows. At least there are no allegations of hanging chads.

Officially, the charges levied yesterday against Etheridge and an underling involve four voters, too few to affect any of the primary races that year, although those who chronicle the tipping point of icebergs might note with complete justification the closeness of two council races: Dan Coffey over Erika Denhart by 12 votes in the 1st District, and Diane Benedetti's 26 ballot margin over Randy Smith in the 5th.

Voter fraud in New Albany? Did it make the deadline for Crutchfield's mercenary tome?

UPDATE: Etheridge charged with voter fraud; Former New Albany mayoral candidate facing three felony charges, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune)

NEW ALBANY — Former New Albany mayoral candidate Paul Etheridge was arrested Thursday and charged with three felony counts of voter fraud.

Etheridge finished third in the Democratic Party mayoral primary in 2011, and it was during that election cycle the alleged fraud occurred, Floyd County Prosecutor Keith Henderson announced during a Thursday press conference.

Arrested on the same charges for the alleged incidents — which all involved the handling and casting of absentee ballots — was Joshua A. Clemons, of Floyd County.

The charges the two are facing — which are all class D felonies each carrying six months to three years of jail time — are solicitation for a fraudulent absentee ballot, forgery of official ballot endorsement and fraudulent delivery of a ballot.