California Voters Tricked Into Registering As Republicans With Pot Petition

Sound familiar? Of course it does, it's one of the things that the Breitbarts of the right claim ACORN did. They always copy us, badly.

Orange County authorities are launching an investigation into possible voter registration fraud after a local newspaper reported over a hundred cases of voters being tricked into registering as Republicans by petitioners who asked them to sign petitions for, among other causes, legalizing pot.

The Orange County Register reported last week that the Orange County District Attorney's office announced it would team up with the Secretary of State on the case, following a Register report that 99 written complaints were filed since March by voters who said they were registered as Republicans without their consent.

Another 74 voters reached by the Register said they, too, were unwillingly made members of the GOP.

ACORN SchmACORN

By GottaLaff

ACORN SchmACORN, let's take a look back in time at what fraud really looked like:

(click on image to enlarge)

Remember, there is a difference between voter fraud and election fraud.

Voter fraud is extremely rare and is the intentional corruption of the electoral process by the voter. That definition covers knowingly and willingly giving false information to establish voter eligibility, and knowingly and willingly voting illegally or participating in a conspiracy to encourage illegal voting by others.

Election fraud is the misrepresentation or alteration of the true results of an election. It is the corruption of the electoral process and corruption committed by election or elected officials, candidates, party organizations, advocacy groups, or campaign workers.

Coincidentally, I just now got this e-mail:

	Dear Laffy, The infamous voting machine manufacturer Diebold has decided to get out of the elections business. But that's where the good news ends. The prospective buyer, Elections Systems and Software (ES&S), who has already had one merger blocked on anti-trust grounds, would control more than three-quarters of the country's voting machines. In key battleground states like Ohio, they would be the sole provider of voting machines. A monopoly of this scale puts our voting process at risk. Our democracy depends on transparency, which is why this sale cannot go unnoticed or unchecked. Tell Justice Department not to approve the merger unless the buyer, ES&S, opens up the software to election officials and the general public. ES&S has been highly criticized for anti-competitive practices, such as drastically increasing their prices for services and upgrades. By buying Diebold, ES&S will maintain tight control over the equipment and software, and will be able to gouge local governments who have no alternative manufacturers to choose from. This market domination will create a dangerous monopoly, result in skyrocketing costs for running elections, and compromise security thanks to the minimal options for substandard equipment made available by a dwindling list of suppliers. That's why it's critical that the Justice Department approve the merger only if the software is made available to election officials. Don't wait. Tell Justice Department to intervene in the Diebold sale immediately! Voters should have no doubt that the voting machines provided are being run to the utmost standards and accuracy. That's why we need to act now before the merger is complete. Thanks, Becky P.S. We're not the only ones calling for action. Common Cause, the nonpartisan group committed to accountable government, has also launched a petition asking the Justice Department to step in on the merger. Senator Chuck Schumer has also called on the anti-trust division of the Justice Department to investigate the sale. So please, take action now.

Timing is everything.

H/t: Dmiller23

Ann Coulter--No, Not ACORN-- Under Investigation For Voter Fraud

By GottaLaff

After all the screaming and whining about ACORN's assaults on democracy and allegedly committing voter fraud, guess who's being investigated... again?

The New York Daily News reports that Ann Coulter is under investigation by the Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission for allegedly voting in that state while registered to vote in New York City.

Officials are responding to a formal complaint filed by Coulterwatch.com blogger Dan Borchers. "For over 10 years, Ann Coulter has gotten away with illegal, immoral and unethical behavior, ranging from plagiarism to defamation, perjury to voter fraud," claims the conservative Borchers. Coulter declined to comment, but in the past has branded Borchers a stalker. He says the FBI has determined he poses no threat.

Coulter was investigated and cleared of wrongdoing in 2006 for allegedly violating Florida's voter registration laws by voting in the wrong precinct.

How shockingly unAmurkin of the Madam's Apple, that scarecrow of Right-Wingnuttia, to attract the attention of Connecticut officials in such an unpatriotic way.

And what a dilemma for the state if she ends up in prison. They won't know whether to place her in a cellblock for men or women.

VIDEO: Obama campaign senior counsel on voting dirty tricks

By GottaLaff

They're on it:



H/t: /Ellen

VIDEO: Greg Palast's "Protecting the Vote"

By GottaLaff


Steal Back Your Vote! from Greg Palast on Vimeo.

Greg Palast is the go-to guy when it comes to information about voter suppression, disenfranchisement, election fraud, voter fraud, you name it.

The video is about 15 minutes. As The Uptake puts it:

One of the best stories we've seen about how the election has and can be manipulated. It comes from Greg Palast of the BBC.

Party Lawyers Ready to Keep an Eye on the Polls

By GottaLaff

If there's nothing to "worry" about, I doubt if both teams would have lawyers everywhere (apparently, "worry" has become a buzz word here, but I'm using it as a catch-all; so, ahem, no worries... snerk!). Seriously, it's good to know they're on top of it:

With heavy voter turnout expected on Election Day, both parties are amassing thousands and thousands of lawyers to keep an eye on the polls.

Senator Barack Obama’s campaign is expected to send at least 5,000 lawyers to Florida alone. The first recruitment e-mail message the campaign sent out nationally received 6,000 responses from lawyers willing to volunteer. Meanwhile, Senator John McCain’s campaign has lined up “Lawyers for McCain” to spread out at polling places in closely contested states as advocates for the ticket.

Both campaigns plan to use the lawyers to protect their supporters at the polls, help untangle ballot problems and run to court should litigation be necessary. [...]

The role of lawyers, especially at polling places, has grown since the 2000 election. For the Obama campaign, the recruitment of lawyers began the moment it set up field offices and is part of its long-term strategy to make voting easier.

Already, lawyers for Mr. Obama have been talking to county election officials and boards of election to increase the number of early voting sites, to encourage early voting and to make sure that there will be sufficient number of voting machines.

“We have a selective, but ferocious legal strategy,” said Jenny Backus, a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign’s legal program. “Rather than waiting for Election Day, we’ve had lawyers working from the beginning. We’ve used them for a massive voter education program, so that people know their rights and what to do on Election Day.”

This comes on top of an effort the Democratic National Committee began after the 2000 election. The committee set up a National Lawyers Council to work on ballot issues, established a voter protection hot line and surveyed 1,300 state and local election officials to flag potential Election Day problems in advance.

So far, over 10,000 lawyers have signed up over the committee’s Web site. [...]

“Lawyers have always written checks,” Mr. Kessler said. “Now we are taking it to the next level in assuring that there will be no issues on Election Day. We are learning from the last two elections and we now have the credo ‘Never again.’ If we lose, we lose. But we don’t want it because of something that took place in the polling place.” [...]

All volunteers must undergo a training session either in person or online with the Obama campaign.

“We’re going to have lawyers at the polls and in close proximity to the court houses,” Mr. Johnson said. As an example, he said lawyers could be helpful in keeping the polls open when lines became extremely long.

The McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee declined to say how many lawyers they had enlisted. Sean Cairncross, the committee’s chief counsel, said: “We will have enough lawyers to respond to any contingency...”

Mr. Cairncross said Republican lawyers would be on the lookout for voter fraud, and would work to halt such previous stunts as having busloads of voters show up to keep polls open beyond their statutory closing time. [...]

Democrats say their lawyers have already had an impact. In Montana, a federal judge upheld a Democratic challenge to a Republican attempt to purge 6,000 voters from the rolls. And in Detroit, a court settlement was reached over allegations that Republicans were going to use home foreclosure lists to challenge voters.

Vigilance.

RNC gets caught pushing phony voter fraud story

By GottaLaff

They're so rarely right, and they can't admit when they're wrong:

Last week, as we noted at the time, the New Mexico GOP had publicly claimed that 28 people voted fraudulently in the Democratic primary, held in June, for a local race.

Then this morning, the RNC sent out a press release announcing a 3pm conference call with reporters "on the recent developments in New Mexico regarding ACORN."

But at 11am, ACORN -- the community organizing group that Republicans have been trying lately to turn into a voter fraud boogeyman -- held a conference call of its own, asserting that local election officials had confirmed that the 28 people in question, mostly low-income Latinos, were valid voters. [...]

In other words, it looks like the RNC had scheduled a call to tout evidence of voter fraud -- not voter registration fraud, mind you, but actual voter fraud -- being perpetrated by ACORN in New Mexico. But when ACORN appeared to come up with compelling evidence that no such fraud had occurred, the RNC held the call anyway, simply shifting the focus to other vague allegations against ACORN -- then refused to address the New Mexico situation when asked.

Scum.

VIDEO-- CNN: "This is not voter fraud! This is more like a fraud perpetrated on ACORN."

By GottaLaff



Suh-nap, Repubs. The Truth Squad sets the record straight.

Drew Griffin said that "it is very unlikely that the bogus registrations would actually lead to voter fraud.”

H/t: Think Progress

AP's lying ACORN headline

By GottaLaff

This isn't biased, right? No, of course it isn't. Via MSNBC's First Read (which includes Chuck Todd as a contributor):

AP: “Officials: FBI investigates ACORN for voter fraud.” (But it’s voter-registration fraud, not voter fraud, right AP?)

An FBI investigation means the RNC and McCain camp can now use the phrase "FBI investigation" in TV ads. ACORN yesterday released this statement: “ACORN has not been contacted by any federal law enforcement agencies. As it was ACORN that on its own accord brought these issues to the attention of relevant law enforcement officials, we are 110% confident that any legitimate review of ACORN by any law enforcement entity - be it local, state or federal -- will determine that the organization has conducted itself properly.”

But now it's out there. As usual, the GOP puts out a lie, the corporate media perpetuates it, feeds into it, eats it up like it's Godiva chocolate, and the unsuspecting public are the ones who swallow it.

AP shouldn't call itself a news organization. The story should be pulled.

H/t: Oliver Willis

Experimental post-- Judge: Michigan can’t reject voters with bad address

By GottaLaff

I can't access the blog here at school, but Bucky gave me a way to post. Le me know if it worked, via comments, which I can receive here.

A judge has ordered Michigan election officials to stop automatically canceling a voter's registration if the card is returned as undeliverable.

Federal Judge Stephen Murphy in Detroit ruled Monday in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and a group representing college students.

More than 1,400 voters in that category have been disqualified so far in 2008. The judge says it's unclear how many cancelations actually are wrong but it's a violation of federal law.

Murphy says those people shouldn't be prevented from voting if they can produce more proof of residency at the polls.

Score one for our side!

Is FOX News Setting The Stage For Disenfranchising Minorities?

Very typical but still scary. As Ellen at Newshounds says-

Whenever Hannity accuses someone else of something, it's a good clue that that's what he's about to do, himself.

Wisconsin "vote fraud" claims, brought to you by... Republicans!

By GottaLaff

Election fraud is a huge problem, as I've said over and over and over and over and over again. It has me worried. Obama needs to get a huge turnout just to compensate. Voter fraud is not a huge problem, but the Republicans want to make it one.

Here we go again:

From the history of the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, we know vote fraud has been a very successful issue for the Republican Party. The more vote fraud they commit, the more successful they are.

That's why it was no surprise when Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, co-chairman of the John McCain campaign in Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit to try to prevent thousands of state voters from casting their ballots.

Republicans used similar tactics in Florida in 2000 and in Ohio in 2004 to remove thousands of voters from the rolls based on confusion over names, addresses and clerical records.

The cover story this time is that Van Hollen claims to be concerned because the names or addresses of many new voters who have registered since 2006 don't match state driver license records or other bureaucratic sources.

There are many innocent explanations for such discrepancies. Sometimes numbers are transposed by clerical error or names are recorded differently because of nicknames or middle initials.

Differences in addresses are particularly common among low-income voters who move frequently.

Republicans have made exaggerated claims in recent years about vote fraud to try to justify requiring photo IDs for voting, a roadblock that disproportionately affects low-income, minority and elderly voters, who are less likely to have a driver's license and more likely to vote Democratic.

Remember, there's a difference between voter fraud and election fraud. Voter fraud is extremely rare:

Common sense tells you why. Anyone convicted of vote fraud goes to federal prison. Risking incarceration to cast an illegal vote that would make an infinitesimal difference in the outcome of an election is senseless. [...]

In fact, one of the few groups with any incentive to put phony voters on the rolls is the Republican Party. That could then be used to justify all of the obstacles they are eager to put in the way of likely Democratic voters.

Investigate away, Mr. District Attorney. It would be wrong to prejudge the investigation, but if the Republican Party turns out to be involved in any way, hang 'em high. [...]

Republicans want to make voters jump through more and more hoops so many of them will become discouraged and fall away. That is especially true of low-income voters who lack transportation and have other difficulties in their lives to distract them from voting. [...]

By forcing thousands of legitimate voters to re-register at their polling places or to go through additional paperwork to cast provisional ballots, Republicans hope to create even more delays at urban polling places.

Voter fraud vs. Election fraud

By GottaLaff

Brad of The Brad Blog just now on Thom Hartmann (quick liveblog):

"Voter fraud": It's a phony scam to keep Democratic voters from casting their votes. Voter frauds have had only 21 convictions, but John Fund likes to talk about it as if it's a huge crime wave.

Their favorite whipping boy is ACORN, who signs up millions of voters who verify every registration that they get. They call them, and if they can't get hold of them, they flag it as possibly illegitimate and put them aside.

Election fraud: [ "Voter fraud" is being used (foreclosure lists in Michigan; or, no match/no vote in Florida, eg: if they're missing your middle initial, your name no longer matches, you can be dropped) and the campaigns are not being tough enough.] It's the voting machines that can be corrupted, and we'd never know it if they messed with them. That is election fraud. The system is gamed.

When it's inside a computer, you can't see it, so you can't stop it. Oklahoma got their optical scan machines years ago, then threw out the voting machine companies and ran them themselves. It's all publicly overseen, as opposed to privatized.

Even if you've voted in the primary, call your registrars, go online to see if you're registered. Do not assume you are registered.

Go to: VotersUnite.org and/or The Brad Blog for more info.