Voter Fraud, Voter Registration Fraud, or Red Herring?

There has been a lot of coverage in the news about the group ACORN and allegations of fraud. Many people are calling it voter fraud, but since there seems to be safeguards in place to make sure that voter registrations are validated, I don’t think any voter fraud has yet been committed .

Republicans are having a fit over ACORN and their registration practices. Let me go on record here that I think that ACORN’s methods in some cases are questionable and deserve scrutiny. It is possible that their method of compensating their workers is partly to blame for so many multiple registrations for one person. And ACORN says that they validate the registrations and flag any that are questionable. But, I put even more blame in the hands of people who are dumb enough to register more than once.

There is no reason to believe that various election boards don’t already have solid processes in place to catch multiple registrations. Since in many states some form of ID with the voter’s address must be presented at voting, it’s another way to prevent multiple votes for the same voter. I can’t se ACORN being a part of a larger operation to fake the registrations AND the identifications.

Here is an article from The Guardian, a UK publication. It has an interesting report on this situation, and since it’s a UK paper, many American may not have even see it. Here’s is an except, you can read the full story here.

…Despite the screaming wall-to-wall coverage of "Democratic voter fraud in 11 swing states" as seen on Fox News and even the once-respectable CNN, none of it's true. None of it.

In just the last week, we've had a phoney stunt raid in swing state Nevada (where Acorn had been cooperating with officials for months, concerning problem canvassers they'd long ago fired); a Republican election official in swing state Missouri tell Fox News that she's being beseiged with fraudulent registration forms from Acorn (in a county where they've not done any registration work since August); a Republican sheriff in swing state Ohio, who, the very next day, suddenly requested the names and addresses of hundreds of early voters (with evidence of exactly zero wrong doing, but lots of Democratic-leaning college student in the particular county, and John McCain's state campaign chair as a partner in the investigation); and a screaming front page headline in Rupert Murdoch's New York Post about a guy who claims he was somehow tricked by Acorn into registering 72 times (but read the article closely to note he says he registered at the same address each time, which, even if true, would allow him - you guessed it - precisely one legal vote.)

It's an old Republican scam, but it's never been carried out with more zeal than this year. The Republicans have been putting so much time, money and resources into the propaganda leading up to this over the last four years, we should have expected no less.

All this said, I think ACORN does deserve some scrutiny for their registration practices. In fact, I don’t know why it has to be so hard to register to vote that we even need an organization like ACORN. The whole process needs to be reviewed.

But voter fraud – not quite.

PS: Here's something that I just got in my email after I made this blog entry. It looks like the RNC is using this ACORN issue now as an excuse to ask for more money. The XXXs are where they inserted my name. (By the way, I get RNC & McCain emails just so I can see what they are saying.)

Dear XXX,

Every election, it's the same old song and dance from the Democrats and their liberal allies when it comes to donor and vote fraud.

This year, the Obama-Biden campaign broke their pledge to accept public financing during the general election. Now it turns out they padded their coffers with contributions from "mystery" donors that don't exist (as reported by Newsweek).

They will soon be trying to pad their totals at ballot boxes across the country with votes from voters that do not exist. From Ohio and Florida to Wisconsin and Nevada, there are reports of fraudulent voter registration forms being submitted by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a liberal group that is dedicating its resources to electing the Obama-Biden Democrats.

What's worse is the Obama-Biden campaign has funneled more than $800,000 to ACORN for work on get-out-the-vote activities conducted by the left-leaning organization.

XXX, we must fight back against attempts by Democrats at vote fraud and ensure the integrity of our democracy. Please join our effort to keep our elections clean and fair by making a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 today.

The Democrats have proven they will do and say whatever it takes to win this election. This isn't the first time they've tried to inflate voter rolls with false names and take money from questionable sources -- and it won't be the last.

But this time we are ready for the liberals' deceitful tactics. We will not stand for the stealing of elections -- the tainting of our democracy -- by those who wish to subvert the rule of law.

Your secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 will support Republicans committed to building a safer, more prosperous America and help hold the Democrats and their left-wing allies accountable for their actions.

XXX, voting is one of our nation's most sacred rights. Do your part to protect the integrity of our elections -- support RNC Victory 2008 today. Thank you.

Best Wishes,
Robert M. "Mike" Duncan
Chairman, Republican National Committee

P.S. XXX, the outcome of the 2008 election is too important to the future of our country to be conducted unfairly. Please help us fight back against vote fraud and elect Republicans committed to the rule of law by making a secure online contribution of $2,000, $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50 or $35 to RNC Victory 2008 today. Thank you.


Unbelievable!


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