Does Voter Fraud From ACORN Grow?

The Latest On Investigation Into Voter Registration Activities Of Non-Profit Organization

(CBS)  CBS News Investigative Producer Laura Strickler wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

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As questions about fraudulent voter registrations at ACORN offices grow nationwide, the organization today defended its efforts to sign up 1.3 million people, a record number of new voters for the upcoming presidential election. CBS News Chief Investigative Correspondent, Armen Keteyian reported on the growing allegations last week.

“That there can be errors in the process we freely admit that, but we are fiercely patriotic. The voter franchise was bought in blood,” said Reverend Gloria Swierenga, director of Maryland ACORN, invoking the names of civil rights workers who died for voting rights in the 1960's.

ACORN officials say after they collect new voter registrations they verify them and then red flag any suspicious applications before they turn them over to election officials across the country. They say they are bound by law not to throw the applications away no matter how absurd the applicants, be they Mickey Mouse or the names of Dallas Cowboy football players. One former election official who spoke on behalf of ACORN said it would be highly inappropriate for outside organizations to judge the validity of voter applications.

But when asked what percentage of the 1.3 million registrations were red flagged, the organization did not know. Kevin Whelan, one of the ACORN employees who runs the voter registration program said he would follow up later with a response, “You know I don’t want to give a number that I can’t back up, I will get the most exact information to date…it’s a very small minority.” Later Whelan followed up to say that ACORN believes the error rate is less than 1%.

Earlier this morning, former senators John Danforth and Warren Rudman who are affiliated with the McCain campaign held a press conference on ACORN voter fraud but refused to let ACORN officials attend according to ACORN employees.

The McCain campaign continued to hammer Obama for his connections to the community based organization. On the Rush Limbaugh show, Sarah Palin said, “Let’s talk quickly about ACORN and the unconscionable situation that we are facing right now with voter fraud, given the ties between Obama and ACORN and the money his campaign has sent them...for shame if the mainstream media were to cover this one up.”

Meanwhile ACORN released video of John McCain speaking at a 2006 rally in Florida on immigration reform that was sponsored by ACORN.


In the video McCain praises the room full of activists who are shouting in Spanish, "Yes we can," which has now become a rallying cry for Obama's campaign. McCain tells the group to loud applause, "What makes America special is what's in this room tonight."

“He was quite friendly to our ACORN members at that rally, so we just assumed he was a friend of ours before he decided he wasn’t, " said Steve Kest National Director of ACORN,

To punctuate the point, ACORN put out a press release with the headline, “ACORN to McCain: Have You Lost That Loving Feeling?”

[joezap5]

Excellent point Bandit. Also, The alleged fraud was being committed by people who filled out the applications not by ACORN itself. To commit this "fraud" you don''t even need ACORN!

[bandit712]

Asking again. How hard is it for a registered voter to cast an absentee vote through the mail? Do they not just have to give a valid address when registering Mickey Mouse then that same person that fraudulently signed the registration could cast the vote? How hard would that be? Is this off base??

[joezap5]

Sorry Downsteamjimbob, apparently reading is much more difficult for you than getting talking points from an AM Radio Goebels personality. I said the fact that the GOP purged (as in removed) good red blooded AMERICANS from the voter roles in Florida was Sickly ironic. The GOP I said was- "Anti-American, Voter suppressing, Civil Rights destroying".

[downsteamjim]

To JoeSap5: So not allowing ACORN to violate election laws is anti Civil Rights. Fantastic spin.

[joezap5]

Acorn was the victim of their own stupid quota system. They paid the inner city poor by the hour and "suggested" (quota) that about 14 new registrants per day would be acceptable.

If you''''ve ever registered voters in districts that are being combed by many political organizations at once, during a hectic political season, you see that the region quickly becomes saturated. They should''''ve known that once their cash paid, low income, workers were striking out they would resort to fudging the forms.

The fact that the Acorn employees registered fictitious names like Zooopy Zooopster And John Q. Public, in no way comes close to voter fraud! The Irony is that Acorn, in a way, is the one who was defrauded. But, by being that stupid, they deserve it.

The worst part of the Acorn affair is that the disgusting, Anti-American, Voter suppressing, Civil Rights destroying GOP is able to lie and use this to their advantage.

After Kathleen Harris & Co. purged tens of thousands of legitimately registered voters in Florida In 2000 (An election Gore "lost" by less than 270 votes), the GOP will try to claim that this is the reason McCain is going to loose in a landslide election. Sick Irony...

[concernedc-2009]

Will Acorn also release the video of last falls meeting wherein they stated they would help Obama win? Un-edited; complete and full; uninterrupted feed?

Quite illuminating, isn''t it? If they are indeed non-partisan, why not show both video''s?

[bandit712]

Question. I''m honestly not sure. How hard is it for a registered voter to cast an absentee vote through the mail? Do they not just have to give a valid address when registering Mickey Mouse then that same person that fraudulently signed the registration could cast the vote? How hard would that be?

[bandit712]

Question. I''m honestly not sure. How hard is it for a registered voter to cast an absentee vote through the mail? Do they not just have to give a valid address when registering Mickey Mouse then that same person that fraudulently signed the registration could cast the vote? How hard would that be?

[downsteamjim]

To colt8881: That is why Democrats fight to allow people to vote without an ID.

[kc629]

Show us where the GOP had stopped people from voting, any proof? Or is that just something you make up to cast dispersionis on the GOP?

Posted by guysdigdirt

There are plenty of newspaper and magazine articles and even a pretty interesting book by the guy up in NH who went to jail (How to Rig an Election) about Republican dirty tricks designed to keep people from voting. If you are too lazy to look it up, I can probably come up with some sites for you.


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Posted by hatesthecolt at 04:09 PM : Oct 15, 2008


first of all if the 2000 and 2004 elections are not proof then you are an idiot, please tell me why your God fearing GOP is against voting machines that keep a paper trail?

[hatesthecolt]

Show us where the GOP had stopped people from voting, any proof? Or is that just something you make up to cast dispersionis on the GOP?

Posted by guysdigdirt

There are plenty of newspaper and magazine articles and even a pretty interesting book by the guy up in NH who went to jail (How to Rig an Election) about Republican dirty tricks designed to keep people from voting. If you are too lazy to look it up, I can probably come up with some sites for you.

[hatesthecolt]

Nice post karela33. Those of us who still have our wits about us either already knew or read with great interest. Too bad there are so many mad dogs out there who cannot see this for the tempest in a teapot that it is. Thankfully they are in the minority. They may reach a few uneducated souls but we porbably couldn''t get to them anyway.

[wlmrtpatriot]

Acorn is a fraudulent entity. Taxpayers money pay for this ***?

[karela33]

The Republican Party has been trying forever to show instances of Voting Fraud that relate to Voter registration fraud and they haven''t been able to. A few people trying to get paid more by turning in fake voter registrations is wrong. However, it only effects the actual votes if Micky Mouse and Donald Duck show up to vote for the first time. Up until that point there is no effect at all on the election---and no one has been able to prove that that has happened or is happening. Please be sure that you understand the difference between Voting Fraud and Voter Registration Fraud. ACORN has not fraudulently effected elections. They have helped many people learn about exercising their right to vote. A republican congressman made a joke, on video, today about the republican party''s efforts at voter suppression, which they strongly involve themselves in at every election. That represents an all out effort to win elections by keeping certain groups of people from voting. Another one of their crowd was indicted just yesterday for their efforts at voter suppression in the last election. All Americans should be enraged about that.

[guysdigdirt]

If you register some one to vote you must turn in all the application no matter what. If the application seem fraudulent then it most be flagged. Acorn did just thatin most cases. The media is not reporting that it was in fact Acorn who reported the fraud.

what about the thousand whose name was taken off the voter roll why don''''t anyone talk about that.
Posted by tonyatq

Acorn flagged a few cards, but there are thousands of cards they have turned in by means of fraud. they try and take the heat off by flagging a few cards.... you really going to believe that they are innocent?

Show us where the GOP had stopped people from voting, any proof? Or is that just something you make up to cast dispersionis on the GOP?

[guysdigdirt]

By law they are required to turn in all registrations. I heard a rumor get it a "rumor" that republicans had hired people to make ACORN look foolish by filling out cards for Osama Bin Laden etc. Those stinkin republicans!!! Not happy with DIEBOLD the makers of elec. voting machines promising them the election in 04 they must now be concerned about voter fraud--Oh the exquisite irony :)
Posted by mtngurl8

Get educated about the situaion then you might understand it.
-There are many instances where Acorn has turned in multiple voter registration cards for the same deceased person at as many as half a dozen different addresses.
-There was a reported situation where there were 1600 registration cards turned in, 6 of which were legit.

The proff is deep and long against Acorn. Obama worked for them, was their attorney, trained their management staff and has paid them over $700,000 in the last 2 years.

If it looks like a duch, walks like a duck and sounds like a duck... you get the point.

[mtngurl8]

CBS should not even be reporting on this. FOX has been covering this non-story and shouting about the unfairness of ACORN daring to register "those people"
By law they are required to turn in all registrations. I heard a rumor get it a "rumor" that republicans had hired people to make ACORN look foolish by filling out cards for Osama Bin Laden etc. Those stinkin republicans!!! Not happy with DIEBOLD the makers of elec. voting machines promising them the election in 04 they must now be concerned about voter fraud--Oh the exquisite irony :)

[dburfears]

What we need to be taking about is not voter registration fraud but voter fraud where the GOP has used intrimidations and had people name taken off the voter roll that is the voter fraud. I people will educate themselves on how the system work we would better understand what happen. If you register some one to vote you must turn in all the application no matter what. If the application seem fraudulent then it most be flagged. Acorn did just thatin most cases. The media is not reporting that it was in fact Acorn who reported the fraud. Not that I am defending Acorn because they should not pay on the number of application register it would eliminate people from registering bogus names like Mickey Mouse. We know that these people want come out to vote because they don''''t exist but what about the thousand whose name was taken off the voter roll why don''''t anyone talk about that.

Posted by tonyatq at 11:26 AM : Oct 15, 2008
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Agreed. But you are wrong on one thing- ACORN pays by the hour, not the registration. Acorn does have a "quota'' for number of registrations, and that may give some employees an incentive to make up names. However, this is true of ALL voter registration efforts, including Republican ones.

[dburfears]

FEW ACTUAL DOCUMENTED CASES OF "VOTER FRAUD"

The Republican HYSTERIA about "voter fraud" is NOT based on any FACTS or PRINCIPLE other that to DISENFRANCHISE MILLIONS of AMERICAN VOTERS who might not vote Repuiblican.

Republicans LIE

Feds convict 26 NATIONWIDE of voter fraud in 2002-2005
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/16/voter-fraud-study/

Only 254 prosecutions (NOT CONVICTIONS) for voter fraud across the NATION per year:
http://www.slate.com/id/2136776/

CA: Only 253 cases (not convictions) of voter fraud in 10 YEARS
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-14-voterfraud-allegations_N.htm?csp=23&RM_Exclude=aol


SD, 2002: NO CASES of Voter fraud after Republican rants during campaign:
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/013581.php

Few ACTUAL CASES of voter fraud over FIVE YEARS:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html

FEDERAL investigation by US Attorney (BUSH APPOINTEE) finds NO voter fraud despite BUSH PRESSUDE:
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/330/david-iglesias.html

DOJ - ONLY 89 CHARGED NATIONWIDE over 3 YEARS. ONLY 52 CONVICTIONS:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23731#continueA

Only 254 prosecutions (NOT CONVICTIONS) for voter fraud across the NATION per year:
http://www.slate.com/id/2136776/

REGISTRATION FRAUD" is not "VOTER FRAUD"

False REGISTRATIONS do NOT result in actual VOTES.

"Mickey Mouse" will NOT show up at the polls to VOTE.

Republicans LIE

Republicans HATE DEMOCRACY.

[tonyatq]

What we need to be taking about is not voter registration fraud but voter fraud where the GOP has used intrimidations and had people name taken off the voter roll that is the voter fraud. I people will educate themselves on how the system work we would better understand what happen. If you register some one to vote you must turn in all the application no matter what. If the application seem fraudulent then it most be flagged. Acorn did just thatin most cases. The media is not reporting that it was in fact Acorn who reported the fraud. Not that I am defending Acorn because they should not pay on the number of application register it would eliminate people from registering bogus names like Mickey Mouse. We know that these people want come out to vote because they don''t exist but what about the thousand whose name was taken off the voter roll why don''t anyone talk about that.