We think you're near Los Angeles

Currently in Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles Current temperature: 48°F: Current condition: Clear See Extended Forecast
Politics | November 3, 2008

ACORN's fraudulent voter registrations turn into votes

Dan Spencer's photo
Right Side Politics Examiner

John Fund reports the left -wing Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now's (ACORN) fraudulent voter registrations have been converted into fraudulent votes in Ohio:

"There are already documented examples of fraudulent registrations being converted into fraudulent votes in Ohio, where ACORN and other groups were active. Darrell Nash, an ACORN registration worker, submitted an illegal form for himself and then cast a paper ballot during the state's "early voting" period."

ACORN became a campaign issue last month after the group's Las Vegas offices were raided by authorities. During the raid, "voter registration forms and computer databases were seized to determine how many fake voter registrations were submitted and identify employees who were responsible."

According to Fund, an ACORN whistle-blower said there was a "conscious strategy" to create confusion and chaos in voter registration offices:

Anita MonCrief, an ACORN whistle-blower who worked for both it and its Project Vote registration affiliate from 2005 until early this year, agrees. "It's ludicrous to say that fake registrations can't become fraudulent votes," she told me. "I assure you that if you can get them on the rolls you can get them to vote, especially using absentee ballots." MonCrief, a 29-year old University of Alabama graduate who wanted to become part of the civil rights movement, worked as a strategic consultant for ACORN as well as a development associate with Project Vote and sat in on meetings with the national staffs of both groups. She has given me documents that back up many of her statements, including one that indicates that the goal of ACORN's New Mexico affiliate was that only 40 percent of its submitted registrations had to be valid.

MonCrief also told me that some ACORN affiliates had a conscious strategy of flooding voter registration offices with suspect last-minute forms in part to create confusion and chaos that would make it more likely suspect voters would be allowed to cast ballots by overworked officials. Nate Toller, who worked on ACORN registration drives and headed an ACORN campaign against Wal-Mart in California until 2006, agrees. "There's no quality control on purpose, no checks and balances," he told me.

 

Many folks are concerned that fraudulent votes could be cast in Ohio. But, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat elected in 2006 with the support of ACORN, doesn't seem to be one of them.

Even though Brunner admits that some 200,000 newly registered Ohio voters have been flagged by her office because their names, addresses, driver's license numbers, and/or Social Security numbers don't match other state or federal records, she refuses to release the information on those registrants to county election boards that have requested them for the purpose of running further checks.

"I'd be very suspicious of what is going on in Ohio," MonCrief told Fund.

I am suspicious of what is going on in Ohio. Unfortunately, it's not just Ohio.

 

Advertisement
Read full bio

By

Right Side Politics Examiner

Dan Spencer has been blogging at, and as, California Yankee since 2003. He lives in Connecticut and practices law in New York. Here he will discuss...

Don't miss...