STEALING The Election

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2004
STEALING The Election
45
Thu, 10-09-2008 - 8:39am

CLEVELAND - Two Ohio voters, including Domino's pizza worker Christopher Barkley , claimed yesterday that they were hounded by the community-activist group ACORN to register to vote several times, even though they made it clear they'd already signed up.


Barkley estimated he'd registered to vote "10 to 15" times after canvassers for ACORN, whose political wing has endorsed Barack Obama, relentlessly pursued him and others.


Claims such as his have sparked election officials to probe ACORN.


"I kept getting approached by folks who asked me to register," Barkley said. "They'd ask me if I was registered. I'd say yes, and they'd ask me to do it again.



"Some of them were getting paid to collect names. That was their sob story, and I bought it," he said.


Barkley is one of at least three people who have been subpoenaed by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections as part of a wider inquiry into possible voter fraud by ACORN. The group seeks to register low-income voters, who skew overwhelmingly Democratic.


"You can tell them you're registered as many times as you want - they do not care," said Lateala Goins, 21, who was subpoenaed.


"They will follow you to the buses, they will follow you home, it does not matter," she told The Post.


She added that she never put down an address on any of the registration forms, just her name.


A third subpoenaed voter, Freddie Johnson, 19, filled out registration cards 72 times over 18 months, officials said.


"It feeds the public perception that there could be , and that makes the pillars fall down," said local Board of Elections President Jeff Hastings.


Registering under a fake name is illegal. But officials usually catch multiple registrations and toss them.


The major risk of fraud growing out of mass canvassing involves the possibility of ineligible voters filing absentee ballots, and thus avoiding checks at polling places, said Republican National Committee chief counsel Sean Cairncross.


The subpoenas come as Republicans have ramped up criticism of ACORN. Officials in Nevada raided ACORN's Las Vegas office Tuesday, accusing the group of signing people up multiple times - in some cases under phony names, like those of Dallas Cowboys.


ACORN's Cleveland spokesman, Kris Harsh, said his group collected 100,000 voter-registration cards; only about 50 were questionable, he claimed.


As for workers, "We watch them like a hawk," he said.


jeane.macintosh@nypost.com


iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
Thu, 10-09-2008 - 5:47pm

I wouldn't want a felony on my record, either; we agree.

Nevertheless, the question - or, more precisely, bait - was asked of me if a felony could ever be considered a "low-level crime." Obviously, since that was the phrase I used to describe the forgery of voter reg cards by low-paid signature gatherers, I think that such a crime is indeed "low-level." Question answered before it's even asked. However, since the bait was tossed out there sanctimoniously, as in "it's a FELONY, it can't possibly be low-level," I provided a real-world example of a Class I felony for very minor theft - under $10. I would most certainly consider that "low-level" on the crime scale. Your mileage may vary. Some of the disconnect may come from the fact that certain crimes have mandatory classifications and sentencing - and it appears that voter reg forgery like this is one of them. Is it a crime? You bet. Is there any evidence that the organization is involved in some sort of systematic way to not only turn in fraudulent registrations, but to utilize them by voting under those false names in order to affect the results of the upcoming election? No. And lastly, does it rise to the level of what people normally think of as a felony: things like rape, murder, aggravated sexual battery, kidnapping, grand theft, etc?

Hardly. Hence: "low-level." Asked and answered (twice now, with two different real-world examples).

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2008
Thu, 10-09-2008 - 6:01pm

Stealing the election??? Seriously? The latest gallup has an 11 point difference between these guys, so given a U.S. population of 305,372,647 (census.gov) and estimating a 30% voter turnout, ACORN would be falsely registering

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2004
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 3:09am

ACORN's tactics are straight out of Alinsky's rulels for radicals - among other things they are trying to overwhelm the system by flooding it with so many fraudulent registrations that the system cannot possibly do due diligence in checking the registrations AND they are attempting to deflect responsibility.


Legally, an employer is responsible for the acts of their agents (employees). . .particularly when the employer knew or should have known that problems were likely!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-01-2004
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 9:46am
By JEANE MacINTOSH Post Correspondent







 Freddie Johnson, yesterday in Cleveland, and Lateala Goins told of filling out voter registrations multiple times in the ACORN scandal revealed by The Post yesterday.

PAWNS IN 'FRAUD': Freddie Johnson, yesterday in Cleveland, and Lateala Goins told of filling out voter registrations multiple times in the ACORN scandal revealed by The Post yesterday.

PreviousPauseNext



Last updated: 9:10 am
October 10, 2008
Posted: 4:00 am
October 10, 2008


CLEVELAND - A man at the center of a voter-registration scandal told The Post yesterday he was given cash and cigarettes by aggressive ACORN activists in exchange for registering an astonishing 72 times, in apparent violation of Ohio laws.


"Sometimes, they come up and bribe me with a cigarette, or they'll give me a dollar to sign up," said Freddie Johnson, 19, who filled out 72 separate voter-registration cards over an 18-month period at the behest of the left-leaning Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.


"The ACORN people are everywhere, looking to sign people up. I tell them I am already registered. The girl said, 'You are?' I say, 'Yup,' and then they say, 'Can you just sign up again?' " he said.


Johnson used the same information on all of his registration cards, and officials say they usually catch and toss out duplicate registrations. But the practice sparks fear that some multiple registrants could provide different information and vote more than once by absentee ballot.


ACORN is under investigation in Ohio and at least eight other states - including Missouri, where the FBI said it's planning to look into potential voter fraud - for over-the-top efforts to get as many names as possible on the voter rolls regardless of whether a person is registered or eligible.


It's even under investigation in Bridgeport, Conn., for allegedly registering a 7-year-old girl to vote, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission.


Meanwhile, a federal judge yesterday ordered Ohio's Secretary of State to verify the identity of newly registered voters by matching them with other government documents. The order was in response to a Republican lawsuit unrelated to the ACORN probe in Cuyahoga County, in which at least three people, including Johnson, have been subpoenaed.


Bribing citizens with gifts, property or anything of value is a fourth-degree felony in Ohio, punishable by up to 18 months in prison. And it's a fifth-degree felony - punishable by 12 months in jail - for a person to pay "compensation on a fee-per-registration" system when signing up someone to vote.


Johnson, who works at a cellphone kiosk in downtown Cleveland, said he was a sitting duck for the signature hunters, but was always happy to help them out in exchange for a smoke or a little scratch. He'd collected 10 to 20 cigarettes and anywhere from $10 to $15, he said.


The Cleveland voting probe, first reported by The Post yesterday, also focused on Lateala Goins, who said she put her name on multiple voter registrations. She guessed ACORN canvassers then put fake addresses on them. "You can tell them you're registered as many times as you want - they do not care," she said.


ACORN spokesman Kris Harsh said the group does not tolerate its workers paying people to sign the voter-registration cards.


ACORN's political wing has endorsed Barack Obama for president, but Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign in Ohio, said ACORN has no role in its get-out-the-vote drive.


During the primary season, however, the Obama camp paid another group, Citizen Service Inc., $832,598 for various political services, according to Federal Elections Commission filings. That group and ACORN share the same board of directors.


In Wisconsin yesterday, John McCain blasted ACORN.


"No one should be corrupting the most precious right we have, that is the right to vote," he said.


It's a right Johnson will exercise. "Yeah, I've registered enough - I might as well vote."


jeane.macintosh@nypost.com

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 10:13am
Have you actually READ "Rules For Radicals?"
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2008
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 10:28am
Why am I not surprised that you have!
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-09-2008
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 4:06pm

Transcript of interview regarding fraud in Ohio:

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: And if the economy isn't shaking you enough, try this. There are huge fears of voter fraud in the presidential election. We're 26 days from the election, one of the biggest horse races in American history. And already there is threat of big trouble. All eyes are on a handful of swing states where several voter fraud investigations are threatening a basic idea, whether or not free and fair elections will be held.

Tonight, we have a full report, starting in Ohio, where there is breaking news. As we reported earlier, a federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order and has ruled that an Ohio secretary of state, Jennifer Brunner, is breaking federal law, not taking enough steps to prevent voter fraud.

The secretary of state is appealing the decision and says in a statement, in part says, "My office will do everything in its power to ensure that the state's 88 county boards of elections can continue to allow early voting to proceed uninterrupted and to assist them with their preparation to ensure a smooth election for the voters of Ohio."

We have invited the secretary of state or someone from her office to comment on this latest development, and our request has been denied. And moments ago, though, we did speak to secretary of state Jennifer Brunner. We had asked her if she has any information that there is voter fraud happening in Ohio.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER BRUNNER (D), OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: There are a number of, basically, allegations that don't have any evidence to support them. There's much more conjecture than anything else. We have a great number of procedures in our law that would prevent voter fraud in Ohio. But I think that some people are alarmed because we've had record numbers of people register to vote, and it tends to be the argument either voter suppression or voter fraud, depending upon which political party is pushing that issue.

VAN SUSTEREN: So right now, at least -- I mean, if you heard anyone come to you and say, Look, we think people are being registered to vote who shouldn't be registered to vote for whatever reasons, whether it's multiple times they've been registered or registering under false (INAUDIBLE) you have none of that on your plate as secretary of state. And if you did, you'd go out and investigate it.

BRUNNER: That's correct. I'm a former judge. I handled criminal cases here in Franklin County, and we take those allegations very seriously because those are felonies. We would prosecute. Secretary of state doesn't itself prosecute. We would refer it either to the attorney general or to a local county prosecutor.

VAN SUSTEREN: I talk to Joe Weasel of Palestra a little while ago and -- it's a student journalism organization and it's one that FOX News Channel has a financial interest in and has an ongoing relationship for because the students have reported for us and for others. But he said that two of his students were down looking at the voter registration and investigating whether or not there was voter registration fraud. And he said that today, they received a call from your office, from someone who they think was the director of communications, accusing them of shoddy journalism and being a mouthpiece for the Republican Party because they were reporting on voter registration irregularities. Do you know anything about that?

BRUNNER: No, I don't know anything about that, and I have regular communication with the folks on my communications staff.

VAN SUSTEREN: We're hearing that people are saying that -- I know Palestra is complaining, or at least has made -- I shouldn't have used the word "complaining," but at least has brought to the attention some voting issues. And I believe -- and I know that up in Cuyahoga County that there's some sort of suggestion that these are just rumblings, which is not evidence. And I'm just trying to make sure, since we're -- you know, we're under the wire, we've only got until November 4, that you would vigilantly investigate anything that came to your office.

BRUNNER: Yes, because in addition to being secretary of state, I am an attorney, I am a former judge, and I'm an officer of the court. And I will seek to uphold the law in all situations.

What -- these rumblings that you're hearing, it's quite interesting. Our office is being barraged by numerous, numerous, tens, dozens, hundreds of phone calls. In addition, people close to me who do not work in the secretary of state's office are getting calls from random callers about one issue after another concerning voter fraud, even at 2:00 in the morning.

So there is a concentrated effort going on out there to try to build the noise that you're discussing. And it's unfortunate because if we can find a specific allegation, we'll deal with it directly. But again, this creating fear in the minds of law-abiding citizens that somehow their vote is not going to count or that it's going to be diluted is a huge disservice to the voters of Ohio and to the rest of the country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Watch Greta's interview with Ohio Secretary Brunner

Watch Greta's interview with former Ohio Secretary Blackwell

VAN SUSTEREN: After we conducted this interview with the secretary of state in Ohio, we received a complaint from the secretary's office about the interview. Now, we've posted on Gretawire a statement, a letter from them, because we want to make sure you read it and leave any comments that you have. So go to Gretawire.com and it is posted, the letter of complaint from the secretary's office.

And the presidential election in 2004 literally came down to Ohio. And that year, there were multiple indictments in Ohio for voter fraud. Ken Blackwell is the former secretary of state of Ohio and was in office during the 2004 election. Secretary Blackwell joins us live.

Secretary Blackwell, this is the news that since that taped interview with the current secretary of state -- I didn't ask her about it because the issue (INAUDIBLE) federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against her. Can you explain -- can you explain what the problem is and why the federal judge stepped in?

KEN BLACKWELL (R), FORMER OHIO SECRETARY OF STATE: In Ohio, elections are managed at the local level. We have 88 county boards of elections with equal number of Democrats and Republicans. We are protected (ph) against a central office controlling elections, which would mean (ph) that it would be an easier target of opportunity for someone trying to fix, rig or disrupt an election. So there is safety in decentralization.

So what the people at the local level are saying is, Let us do our job. Give us the tools, empower us so that we can did our job. And the secretary's instinct is to centralize, is to control, is to manage from Columbus, our state capital.

And I think what the federal judge is saying is that, Look, the responsibility for managing elections is at the local level. You must empower, you must allow them to verify the truthfulness of voter applications, and they must be able to say that the whole principle that is the foundation of our democracy, one person, one vote, one election.

VAN SUSTEREN: Secretary Blackwell, it's sort of -- it's interesting to note that -- I mean, I -- she's going to take this case -- she's going to appeal this temporary restraining order against her to the United States court of appeals for the sixth circuit, so there will be another review.

BLACKWELL: Absolutely.

VAN SUSTEREN: But just -- without -- I mean, just so the viewers get an idea of politics in your state, and it's not to assign any sort of partisanship on behalf of the current secretary...

BLACKWELL: Right.

VAN SUSTEREN: ... But this was brought -- this temporary restraining order was brought by the Ohio Republican Party. And what party is she a member of? Is she a Democrat or a Republican?

BLACKWELL: She is a Democrat. But again, Greta, I want to underscore something. We won't be able to solve this crisis in confidence unless we do it on a bipartisan basis. And so whatever our philosophical difference is, we must pull together to build voter confidence in the election returns. And the way that you do that is that you trust but you verify. And you must be able to verify the veracity of voter registrations and the vote count at the local level, at the county level in the state of Ohio.

VAN SUSTEREN: And of course, when you say it's bipartisan -- and the only thing that sort of rubs everybody a little bit raw right now is it's not like this election is a big surprise. We've known about it for four years and we're 27 days out. And to fight any sort of effort to trust and verify is distressing because we need to have confidence.

BLACKWELL: Well, it is distressing. And let me just say this. I think it's outrageous that someone would suggest that there is not enough evidence to be highly suspicious of a rogue organization like ACORN. They do a disservice to the community-based organizations across this country that try to empower the poor and to make sure that we have -- give voice to all of our citizens. This is an organization that has a history of voter fraud. This is an organization that in at least 12 states are under investigation. And I'll just tell you that in Nevada, it's a Democrat...

VAN SUSTEREN: And I've got to go.

BLACKWELL: There's a Democrat secretary of state bringing the charge.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, Ken. Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Thank you.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 4:11pm
Yes....I've read many books. So?

The question remains (and the lack of an answer is, in its own way, a pretty good answer): has the poster who proclaimed this is "straight out of Alinsky's 'Rules For Radicals'" actually read it? 'Cause, you know....that might give us some insight into the seriousness with which we should take his/her claim that "overwhelming the system by flooding it with so many fraudulent registrations that the system cannot possibly do due diligence" is a tactic "straight out of Rules for Radicals?"
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-08-2008
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 4:13pm

Riiiiight. An interview - on FAUX "News" - with Ken Blackwell, the man who oversaw perhaps the most corrupt election in Ohio's HISTORY?

I can't tell if that's the fairness I'm smelling, or the balance.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-04-2001
Fri, 10-10-2008 - 4:59pm

One Alinsky tactic