GOP fires vendor after questionable registrations

In this Nov. 4, 2008 file photo, a woman votes at a fire station in Jupiter, Fla. on election day. / File,AP Photo/J Pat Carter

Updated 10:20 PM ET

WASHINGTON Republicans on Thursday fired a vendor suspected of submitting 108 questionable new voter registrations in Florida's Palm Beach County, ground zero for disputed ballots in 2000's presidential race.

The Republican Party of Florida used Virginia-based Strategic Allied Consulting to help register and turnout voters in Florida, one of a shrinking handful of states President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are contesting. The Florida state party had paid the firm more than $1.3 million so far, and the Republican National Committee used the group for almost $3 million of work in Nevada, North Carolina, Colorado and Virginia.

"We have zero tolerance for any threat to the integrity of elections. When we were informed of an alleged incident we immediately cut all ties to the company," RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer said.

The state party similarly sought to distance itself from the firm.

"We immediately informed the Republican National Committee that we were terminating the contract with the voter-registration vendor we hired at their request because there is no place for voter-registration fraud in Florida," state Republican Party Executive Director Mike Grissom said in a statement.

Strategic Allied Consulting said the suspected forms came from one person and the company was cooperating with elections officials in Florida.

"Strategic has a zero-tolerance policy for breaking the law," said Fred Petti, a company attorney. "Accordingly, once we learned of the irregularities in Palm Beach County, we were able to trace all questionable cards to one individual and immediately terminated our working relationship with the individual in question."

The company did not identify the individual.

Polls show Obama increasing his lead over Romney in Florida, a hard-fought state that hosted the GOP's convention last month. If Romney were to lose Florida and its 29 electoral votes, he would have to sweep other battleground states of Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire to win the White House.

Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher's staff noticed signatures that looked alike and incomplete forms submitted on Sept. 5 by Strategic Allied Consulting. Bucher met with prosecutors on Monday to request an investigation.

Palm Beach County was at the center of the ballot recount in 2000, with George W. Bush and Al Gore both contesting the results that seemed to give Reform Party nominee Pat Buchanan an unusually strong showing. Critics — and legions of attorneys — said the ballot design led many Gore supporters to cast votes for Buchanan.

The subsequent questions that arose about how ballots should be tabulated made their way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which settled the bitter contest in a 5-4 ruling barring a ballot recount. Bush won.

Sproul, a longtime GOP operative who leads Strategic Allied Consulting, previously worked for Romney's campaign through a separate firm, Lincoln Strategy Group. Romney spokeswoman Sarah Pompei says the campaign has not used Sproul since 2011, when the campaign was using Lincoln to collect signatures to get on primary ballots.

The deadline to register in Florida for Nov. 6's election is Oct. 9.

[cjgrand]

This vendor was involved with the same fraudulent tactics in the 2004 elections. The RNC knew this and even told them to change their name before hiring and paying them for fraud part 2.

This is the only vendor that they hired. They have no vendors registering voters in swing states as of now.

The GOTP crooks and hypocrites make me sick!

[cjgrand]

This vendor was involved with the same fraudulent tactics in the 2004 elections. The RNC knew this and even told them to change their name before hiring and paying them for fraud part 2.

This is the only vendor that they hired. They have no vendors registering voters in swing states as of now.

The GOTP crooks and hypocrites make me sick!

[cjgrand]

This vendor was involved with the same fraudulent tactics in the 2004 elections. The RNC knew this and even told them to change their name before hiring and paying them for fraud part 2.

This is the only vendor that they hired. They have no vendors registering voters in swing states as of now.

The GOTP crooks and hypocrites make me sick!

[PourpaixPourpaix]

I don't care if it's the GOP or ACORN. Registering dead folks to vote make those who participate to be enemies of the Constitution and should be dealt with rather strictly. I've never known a subcontractor to go off and do such things without the bosses' sanctioning it. That makes the RNC to be enemies of the State, but I guess that kind of news surprises nobody.

[truthfairy1]

The Republican National Committee have been working with this voter registration fraudster for over a decade, so their "shock" is fake:http://www.bradblog.com/?p=9586#more-9586

Same time they're suppressing millions of votes with GOP VoterID laws, they're working with various voter registration groups around the country to destroy Democratic forms & file fake Republican ones - RNC-involved voter registration fraud just caught in Nevada & Oregon with groups called "Voter Outreach of America" & "America Votes" http://www.8newsnow.com/story/2421595/investigation-into-trashed-voter-registrations

This should be a national headline news story & outrage

[dj_chi]

I think those groups are all part of Sproul's company.

[RollotheNorman]

BWWWHAHAHAAHAAHAAHAA. ROTFLMAO. The RepubliCONs have this huge concern that voter fraud might, maybe, could, take place and they have an in-house fraudster. Hypocrites!!!! Frauds!!!! CONment!!!! Liars!!!! Eat S--- and Die!!!!

[Machipongo_John]

Hopefully (not) the GOP brownshirt organization "True the Vote" will challenge these fraudulent registrations.

[Lindag20]

Meanwhile the GOP is pressing for Voter ID laws to "prevent" fraud after a group they hire to register voters is caught submitting false registrations. Obviously they have NO SHAME!!

[AOCGUY]

VSMIT, Many honest hardworking individuals lost their jobs when ACORN folded as well - despite the fact that ACORN was found to be inncoent of all charges. Bet you didn't respond that way back then did you?

[dj_chi]

vsmit - it's NOT a problem with one individual! The company, run by a well-connected GOP operative, has been doing the same thing since at least 2004 - in multiple states! It's fraud as a business model to favor the GOP, plain and simple.

[dj_chi]

This Strategic Allied Consulting has a long history with the GOP, going back at lest to 2004. They ran orgs under various names in many states, which all shared the same offices - a highly connected Arizona GOP operative! Which ACORN was lambasted for fake signatures, this group went farther by destroying Dem voter registrations. Not just recently but going back at least to 2004. Former workers claimed people bringing in Dem registrations were fired! And Bush even invited the guy behind it all to the White House!! Calls by *both* parties to investigate this company even back then were ignored! Talk about your coverup.

And the GOP kept using them all this time.

[dj_chi]

Recall that while being president Bush had the DOJ go after voter fraud in a big way. They spent $75 million and didn't find anything. And which company did the GOP turn a blind eye to while spending that $75 million? The one suppressing Dem voter registrations.

[AOCGUY]

CBS, your previous format had problems but this new one sucks a big one.

[dj_chi]

At the very least, bring back the time and date stamp for when comments were posted! It matters!

[AOCGUY]

Good point DJ. Personally I think I may move on to another site where it is easier to comment.