October 7, 2008
Non-Profit Raided In Voter Fraud Probe
Questions Raised About ACORN’s Voter Registration Drive
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Screen shot of ACORN Web site. ()
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ACORN workers Carlos McCoy and Charmaine Davis try to register voters Sept. 1, 2006, outside the Franklin County Courthouse in Columbus, Ohio. ACORN, which registered about a million voters two years ago, is wrestling with new charges of voter fraud and sloppy work weeks before crucial midterm elections. (AP)
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Play CBS Video Video Vanishing Voters A new report raises questions about a little known, yet problem-ridden process known as voter purging that could cost some Americans their right to vote. Armen Keteyian reports.
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Video Voter Purging Michael Waldman, director of the Brennan Center for Justice, explains what "voter purging" is, why it needs to be reformed, and how the problem might be solved.
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Video Voter Registration Fraud Employees at a Republican voter registration group called Voters Outreach claim a supervisor destroyed completed Democratic voter registration forms, Vince Gonzales reports.
The Las Vegas headquarters of the nation’s largest grassroots community organization for low-income people was raided today by Nevada state authorities as part of a voter-fraud probe.
The raid was initiated by Nevada’s Secretary of State, Ross Miller, after a series of accusations that the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, also known as ACORN, was submitting voter registration lists to the state that contained false or duplicate names of voters.
“When we got [to the headquarters], no one was there so, there were no arrests,” Secretary of State spokesman Bob Walsh told CBS News. But, he added “agents did seize lots of records.”
CBS News has learned that the state’s investigation is focusing on the conduct of ACORN’s work force. Critics allege that ACORN hires workers “off the street” to sign up new voters, paying them by the number of voters registered - sometimes resulting in false and duplicate names. But an ACORN spokesman dismisses this allegation and told CBS News that workers are paid “by the hour” and “not by the number of people they sign up.”
In an official statement, ACORN Interim Chief Organizer, Bertha Lewis, called today’s raid “a stunt” and said it “serves no useful purpose other than discredit our work registering Nevadans and distracting us from the important work ahead of getting every eligible voter to the polls.” Lewis says any time ACORN “identified a potentially fraudulent application” they notified election officials. But, Lewis claims Nevada election officials “routinely ignored” ACORN’s concerns and “failed to act.”
The raid comes two months after state and federal officials formed a task force to go after election-fraud allegations. Earlier this year, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey issued a memo to all Justice Department employees telling them in no uncertain terms that “politics must play no role in our efforts.”
ACORN has been around since the 1970’s and has offices nationwide to assist low-income people with a number of issues. Part of the organization’s mission is to help low-income Americans, minorities, and youth, who are “historically disenfranchised” from voting register for elections. ACORN’s website says they “helped more than 1.68 million citizens register to vote” for the 2004 and 2006 elections. And just yesterday, ACORN announced it had conducted its “largest and most comprehensive” voter drive for the upcoming presidential election helping “over 1.3 million Americans register to vote.”
By Pia Malbran
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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- I want 60 minutes to do a story on William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and ACORN. Since Obama followed and worked with these groups for many years, he must have felt and believed their philosophy. I want the people to see what fundamental changes Obama wants to make in our country. The changes very well may be what his past fellowships have preached to him for all those years. His judgement should also be questioned. After the public knows about Ayers and Wright and ACORN''s background, let them decide if he Obama was keeping good company. I personally would not go to a church where the pastor spoke of hatred. I would not become friends or work for someone who hates the USA so much to bomb and kill people and wish he did more.
Who stomps on the American flag, what kind of a moron is he. Or what kind of a moron would befriend and work with such losers. So, 60 minutes, do a story about these three mentioned above and let the American public decide what they think about Obama''s judgement. Do this story before the election, please. - Reply to this comment
- This is to Ms homespunlady...to answer your question about how many states have a BAN on homeless Vets?
NONE!
Please go do your homework while waiting on your government check you think that is owed you. - Reply to this comment
- Indianaman you need to check you history.. the S&L fiasco was set in motion by none other that that good ole peanut farmer! Do you know who that was?...oh probably not since he "wasn''t qualified" to even run that.
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- The non-profit is called ACORN!!!!!!!!!!!You talk about biased reporting?....What are you afraid of CBS?...afraid that the DNC will cancel your Democratic voting privliges?.....or that Rainbow Push will boycott ya''ll?? gees. what a bunch of panty waisted slime balls.
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- why has`nt CBS aired the voter fraud story? i see it on line, but why not on TV? CRITICS SAY IT`S BECAUSE OF THE SUPPORT THAT THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN HAS WITH ACORN-WE`RE TALIKNG ABOUT 20,000 VOTES SO FAR! IT`S TIME TO BE FAIR TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ABOUT THIS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY!
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- America, the land of the free----REALLY!!!!!Only if you don''t interfere with my plans. Then I will stop you right or wrong, it is more important I survive than you---Signed American government, who should be for the people by the people, but only if you are in big business, Wall street , and to me said the government is all that matters.So hush up PEOPLE let us do our thing,Don''t let them vote, throw them out of there homes, take their retirement money, let us go on a resort vacation after you the people gave us 85 billion and have to give us more ,you don''t the the tangles we weave we do, so hush up America and let your government destroy you
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- Centuries past in places with Kings and serfs, only people with land could vote or have a say in politics. America did away with such tactics because of the inherent corruption and abuse of power associated with such acts and laws. We are supposed to be progressing towards a brighter more fair future. Anyone remember "All men are created equal with certain unalienable rights endowed to them by their creator, that among those are the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." We are a democracy, not a monarchy with only a small circle of people with money and land.
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- Oneamerica7 you want to attack obama and call him a socialist? what about McCain and his ties to the Israel lobby? Why would another country pay a politician to get into office? What about McCain''s ties to Finance and Banking insiders? Who has hurt more Americans? McCain obviously with his involvement with Reagan''s saving and loan scandal. Reagan was for deregulation, got it done, and cost the taxpayers 160 billion. What about McCain''s involvement in Bush''s push for deregulation, which is going to cost the public 700 billion and tanked the world economy. You can call helping the middle class socialism trying to whip up propoganda like a nazi, but i call helping my fellow american just being a good neighbor and what a politician is supposed to do, help the people, not just his business and personal interests.
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- Amendment 26 - Voting Age Set to 18 Years. Ratified 7/1/1971. History
1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.
2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
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Only a fool would think that the Constitution requires that we take peoples word for it that they are a citizen or that they have not already voted... - Reply to this comment
- Its time Obama supporters joined me:
No gambling in Nevada.
Vote with your pocketbook. - Reply to this comment
Ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy 
