Republican Party accused of Voter Fraud

[Ray]

Voter registration fraud claims singe GOP


(CBS News) Revelations that the Republican National Committee urged several states to hire a consulting firm that submitted potentially fraudulent voter registration forms in Florida are continuing to cause embarrassment to the Republican Party.

RNC spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday his group had cut ties to the firm, Strategic Allied Consulting, citing "zero tolerance" for voter fraud. "This is an issue we take extremely seriously," he told CBS News. "When allegations were brought to our attention we severed all ties to the firm."

The Los Angeles Times reported that the RNC urged the state GOP in seven swing states to hire the firm, despite the fact that the man who runs it, Nathan Sproul, has been accused of running firms that have destroyed Democratic registrations. Sproul told the newspaper that RNC officials asked him to set up a new firm, Strategic Allied Consulting, so that his efforts would not be linked to those allegations. The RNC has reportedly paid the firm at least $3.1 million via state parties.

Sproul blamed the suspicious forms on a single employee in Palm Beach County. But Florida election officials tell CBS News they have found a "couple hundred" voter registrations in eight Florida counties with "irregularities" that deserve further scrutiny. They are currently reviewing the registrations and if they find them to be "legally significant" they will turn them over to law enforcement. This could happen by the end of the day.

ACORN, the Democratic-affiliated community organizing group, was accused of a similar type of voter registration fraud in the 2008 campaign cycle. It also responded by blaming bad apples within the organization. Republicans rejected that argument and harshly attacked the group, casting it as having attempted to steal the election on behalf of then-candidate Barack Obama.

Republicans have made combating voter fraud a top priority in this election cycle, with GOP-led state legislatures in numerous states championing legislation mandating that voters show photo identification. Critics say such fraud is not a serious issue and that Republicans are simply trying to disenfranchise voters likely to vote Democrat.

It's not clear whether the suspicious registrations in Florida could have led to voter fraud. According to the Times, they could have caused problems for voters if, for example, they falsely changed someone's address, potentially prompting them to have to cast a provisional ballot. The issue is particularly charged in Florida, the site of a bitter recount fight in the 2000 presidential election.

Florida election officials told CBS News that the irregularities have to do with false information and voter signatures - for example, the name on the application doesn't match the signature, or some information wasn't filled out completely, or multiple signatures look like they were signed by the same person. All reported irregularities were submitted using the Republican Party of Florida's third party organization registration number, which has registered 46,000 voters with the state according to Florida election officials.

Sproul told CBS News he had a contract (which was terminated yesterday) with the RNC to do work in five swing states: North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Nevada and Colorado.

"When [Florida state officials] contact us we'll be able to go to our voter registration logs and match up the serial numbers with the individuals who collected the cards," he said. "Our quality control measures will have been successful and if the individual did in fact commit voter fraud we'll do everything we can to assist in their prosecution."

Officials in North Carolina and Virginia told CBS News there were no irregularities reported to date. Nevada officials would not confirm or deny any pending investigations, which Colorado officials said they had five irregular forms no information at this time about who submitted them.

In a separate story, Florida's St. Augustine Record on Friday posted audio of a volunteer affiliated with the Republican Party of Clay County telling voters that the president is "a Muslim" who will "get rid of your Medicare" and wants to turn American into "a socialistic country." The audio was captured on an answering machine. An official with the Republican Party of Clay County said the volunteer was "off-script completely" and not expressing the party's views.

Voter registration fraud claims singe GOP - CBS News

 

[Ray]

GOP Firm Accused of Voter Fraud

BY DANNY YADRON

Suspicions of voter-registration fraud by a firm working for the Republican Party of Florida spread to at least eight counties Friday after apparent irregularities in registration forms emerged earlier this week in a single county.

The Florida GOP fired the firm, Strategic Allied Consulting, earlier this week after local officials found apparently incorrect information on registration forms collected by the firm in Palm Beach County.

The Republican National Committee had urged state parties in Florida, Nevada, Colorado, Virginia and North Carolina ...

GOP Firm Accused of Voter Fraud in Florida - WSJ.com

 

[Ray]

Turzai: Voter ID Will Allow Romney to Win Pa.


Study: New Voting Restrictions May Affect More than Five Million

ew York – New voting laws could make it significantly harder for more than five million eligible voters to cast ballots in 2012, according to the first comprehensive study of the laws' impact.

Widespread voting cutbacks could have a significant electoral impact in next year's hard-fought races, the study concludes. Minorities, poor and young voters will likely be most affected.

"This is the most significant cutback in voting rights in decades. More voters may be affected than the margin of victory in two out of the past three presidential elections," said Michael Waldman, the Center's executive diector. "In 2012 we should make it easier for every eligible citizen to vote. Instead, we have made it far harder for too many. Partisans should not try to tilt the electoral playing field in this way."

Voting Law Changes in 2012 analyzes the 19 laws and two executive actions that passed in fourteen states this year, as well as more than 100 bills that were introduced but did not pass (some may still pass). The study shows, among other things:

The states that have already cut back on voting rights will provide 171 electoral votes in 2012—63 percent of the 270 needed to win the presidency.
Of the 12 battleground states identified by an August Los Angeles Times analysis of Gallup polling, five have already cut back on voting rights (and may pass additional restrictive legislation), and two more are currently considering cutbacks.
Among the changes in 2011:

Photo ID laws. At least 34 states introduced legislation that would require voters to show photo identification in order to vote. Photo ID bills were signed into law in seven states: Alabama, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. By contrast, before the 2011 legislative session, only two states had ever imposed strict photo ID requirements. The number of states with laws requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification has quadrupled in 2011. Eleven percent of American citizens do not possess a government-issued photo ID; that is over 21 million citizens.
Proof of Citizenship laws. At least 12 states introduced legislation that would require proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, to register or vote. Proof of citizenship laws passed in Alabama, Kansas, and Tennessee. Previously, only two states had passed proof of citizenship laws, and only one had put such a requirement in effect. The number of states with such a requirement has more than doubled.
Laws making voter registration harder. At least 13 states introduced bills to end highly popular Election Day and same-day voter registration, limit voter registration efforts, and reduce other registration opportunities. Maine passed a law eliminating Election Day registration, and Ohio ended its weeklong period of same-day voter registration. Florida and Texas passed laws restricting voter registration drives, and Florida and Wisconsin passed laws making it more difficult for people who move to stay registered and vote.
Laws reducing early and absentee voting days. At least nine states introduced bills to reduce their early voting periods, and four tried to reduce absentee voting opportunities. Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia enacted bills to reduce early voting.
Laws making it harder to restore voting rights. Two states—Florida and Iowa—reversed prior executive actions that made it easier for citizens with past felony convictions to restore their voting rights, affecting hundreds of thousands. In effect, both states now permanently disenfranchise most citizens with past felony convictions.
"These voting law changes are radical and completely unnecessary. They especially hurt those who have been historically locked out of our electoral system, like minorities, poor people, and students. Often they seem precisely targeted to exclude certain voters," said Wendy. R. Weiser, report co-author and Director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center. "After the Florida election fiasco in 2000, it became clear that the rules of election administration could affect outcomes. This time, those rules are being altered in a way that will likely hurt millions."

"Significantly, these voting law cutbacks extend well beyond the most visible and controversial step to require government-issued photo ID that many citizens don't have," said report co-author Lawrence Norden, deputy director of the Democracy Program and former Chair of the Ohio Secretary of State's bipartisan Election Summit and Conference. "An array of technical moves can add to significant barriers to the ballot. And it comes at a time when experience has taught us there are many ways to improve the voting process and expand access to the franchise while reducing costs."

Proponents of these laws assert they are needed to combat voter fraud. An earlier Brennan Center study, The Truth About Voter Fraud, showed that such in-person voter impersonation is exceedingly rare. "You are more likely to be struck by lightening than to commit in-person voter fraud," Waldman noted.

You can read a breakdown of the estimate of 5 million voters impacted here.

You can read more about how 11 percent of American citizens, or over 21 million citizens, do not possess a government-issued photo ID in Citizens Without Proof, another earlier Brennan Center publication.

http://www.brennancenter.org/conten...rictions_may_affect_more_than _five_million/

 

[Ray]

Can someone who understands US elections explain what all this means?

 

[aeroblogger]

The voter fraud being referred to is when someone ineligible to vote (like a non-citizen or a non-existent person) registers to vote.

Some states (like Pennsylvania) are considering enforcing a voter ID law in which voters must present valid government ID to verify identity while voting. However, this creates problems because getting a government ID costs money and takes up time. Poor people (a demographic which generally votes for the Democrats) who are eligible to vote would find it more difficult to vote. So these voter ID laws are very controversial...