Most users of the Ledger Dispatch Web site are accustomed to viewing and perhaps voting on the weekly Reader Poll, an area of www.ledger-dispatch.com to weigh in on the topic of the week.

The Reader Poll was a feature that had run for several years and was discarded when Web voters began hacking into the program or circumventing the system to allow themselves to vote multiple times, altering the results.

"Depending on the subject, we'd find individuals or groups that wanted to alter the outcome to suit their needs or wishes," said Jack Mitchell, publisher of the Ledger Dispatch. "When we found a way to track the duplicate votes and their source, we reinstated the poll, but are very aware that it has to be policed."

While several other newspapers and sister publications utilize the same poll program, Amador County is the first on record dealing with such a high volume and intensity of hackers. "I've had a number of publishers ask me what is going on with Amador County. I just tell them we have some very active groups and individuals that apparently will do anything they can to get their way, including any unethical means," Mitchell added.

While working on the problems with the Reader Poll, Mitchell is excited about some of the possibilities in tracking the multiple vote individuals. "I doubt it will involve legal action. We have considered publishing the names or e-mail addresses of users that choose to be unethical, as well as attending the governmental meetings where they may be trying to sway a vote and under public comment point out the individual or group and the lengths they will go to."

It should be noted that this week's poll results were the victim of hackers. Last week's poll question regarding what you like to read in the Ledger Dispatch did not add up to 100 percent online because the Ledger Dispatch removed "Other" or fill in the blank response due to offensive remarks. The correct percentages ran in the April 10 edition of the Ledger Dispatch.