Political aide to former Md. governor found guilty

A Baltimore jury on Tuesday morning convicted a political aide to former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich of conspiring to suppress black voter turnout during the 2010 gubernatorial election.

Paul Schurick was found guilty Tuesday of four counts, including conspiracy to violate state election laws and attempting to influence a voter’s decision whether to go to the polls through the use of fraud.

Schurick had testified that he rejected campaign consultant Julius Henson’s black voter suppression strategy but later approved an automated telephone call sent on Election Day to about 110,000 Democratic voters in heavily black jurisdictions. The call told them to relax because Gov. Martin O’Malley had already won.

Schurick says it was meant to mobilize cross-over Democrats, not keep people from going to the polls.

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