Morris reports that he insisted on the use of exit polls as a means of potentially exposing ballot tampering.

He was accused of ballot tampering to help his brother, Edward McCarthy, an unsuccessful candidate in that election.

In 1992, one of his aides was convicted in a ballot tampering scandal involving two close House races.

But he lost narrowly amid charges of ballot tampering.

Supporters interviewed in the crowd said they were certain that officials would stop at nothing, including ballot tampering, to block his election.

He called charges of ballot tampering false, and said his opponents "must be liars."

He is the third union official to tell investigators about ballot tampering on the contract, which set the pattern for ensuing settlements with other city unions.

Tampering Charged In its countersuit, Irving said it discovered one case of ballot tampering by the Bank of New York side.

But any ballot tampering in the 1968 election was "finagling" behind his back, Mr. Hawkins said in the interview.

Political opposition leaders and leaders of nongovernmental groups charged that the decision to ignore the court order only added to fears of ballot tampering and electoral fraud.