America trebles its poll watchdogs

America's Justice Department today announced it is sending more than 1,000 poll observers to prevent ballot rigging in key states in the US election.

The number is more than three times the 329 deployed in the 2000 election and follows bitter allegations of voter intimidation and cheating. With four days left until Tuesday's ballot, America was divided down the middle with polls showing neither George Bush nor John Kerry has managed to gain a clear lead.

President Bush was campaigning in Ohio today with Hollywood star turned politician Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Bush camp was hoping for a big turnout to rival the 80,000-strong crowd that greeted rocker Bruce Springsteen, who played two songs at a rally for Mr Kerry in Wisconsin.

The latest polls show virtual dead heats in the three most important of the battleground states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Mr Kerry appeared to be gaining ground slightly in Ohio while the Bush camp was predicting a weekend "bump" upwards in Florida.

The 1,090 federal observers from the Justice Department will be on duty in all three states, monitoring at least 86 locations where claims of election-rigging have been made.

In the latest rows, a Republican

organiser was accused of offering to deliver people's voter registration forms - then tearing up papers belonging to those thought to be Democrats.

Another legal challenge was launched in Ohio after Republican officials struck off voters whose postal ballots were returned unopened.

The officials claimed to have found widespread fraud, including addresses that did not exist, but Democrats said they had disqualified voters who had simply moved house.

Many of the disputes surround alleged attempts to target areas where minority communities live.

After 60,000 postal ballots went missing in Florida, Democrat chairman Diane Glasser claimed: "It looks like they're trying to steal the vote again."

About a fifth of Americans have exercised their right to vote early. Some claim to have suffered intimidation, including an incident where a private detective was hired to film people going in the polling station.