"You don't want the names of people who have died on your voting list," Samp says. "If somebody comes in and gives the name of a dead person, we are hoping that one of our employees will know that person has died."

While the composition of the electorate has changed dramatically since 1960, Samp says the commission's commitment to integrity remains the same.

As an example of the Election Commission's commitment to integrity, Samp points to the apprehension of a voter who had lied about his name at a polling location during a City Council election several years ago.

According to Samp, election workers worked with police to seize "some fellow" who falsely identified himself as an MIT student and voted twice.

Samp says an advertisement for a City Council candidate on the man's car led to his subsequent arrest and six-month imprisonment.

"That was kind of a funny story in a sense," Samp says. "We try to publicize things like that to let people know that we are watching them."

'Republican Through and Through'

Described by Spears as "a Republican through and through," Samp has fought his share of partisan battles on the commission, which consists of two Republicans and two Democrats.

Recently, Samp has opposed the implementation of the "Motor Voter" bill, which would enable individuals to register to vote when renewing a driver's license, collecting welfare benefits or engaging in any of a number of other activities.

"There's an open invitation to fraud here," Samp says. "The thing we worry about is a social worker saying to a client, 'if we can get more money here, we can do this for you and this for you,' relating that to a political party."

Bonislawski, who is a Democrat, says Samp's opposition to the legislation reflects the views of many in the Republican party.

"The Democrats have played an outstanding role in the past 20 years in opening up the process of voting to be much more inclusive," Bonislawski says. "Ed has not always shared that vision."

Law and Little League

Colleagues say they admire Samp not only as an administrator but also as a lawyer and Little League coach.

"When I was in law school, Ed would quiz me on areas of law, just some times out of the blue," Bonislawski says. "It turned out to be very helpful for me."