Will the Bush Justice Department investigate charges of voter fraud by ACORN?

For weeks, conservative political circles have been buzzing with rumors that a grassroots organization called the Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has been fraudulently registering low-income Americans to vote. There were reports that Mickey Mouse was registered in Florida, that a man named Freddie Johnson registered 73 times, that somehow ACORN was a front organization to elect Democrat Barack Obama.

Today, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee asked the Bush administration's Justice Department to investigate. In a statement, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said:

Reports that ACORN registered Mickey Mouse to vote are deeply disturbing. American voters depend on their government to ensure that their votes are fairly counted in an election. Unfortunately, organizations like ACORN that perpetuate voter fraud continue to plague the American electoral system. Congress must make it clear that ACORN, and organizations like it, will not be allowed to steal votes and potentially influence elections.

Both sides in the presidential race have accused the other of ties to ACORN.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in an e-mail to supporters, noted that ACORN has endorsed Obama. The Alaska governor added, "We can't allow leftist groups like ACORN to steal this election."

Democrats responded by noting that Republican John McCain spoke at a pro-immigration rally co-sponsored by ACORN in 2006. Today, the group issued a news release saying, "ACORN to McCain: Have You Lost That Loving Feeling?"

For his part, Obama said today that his relationship with ACORN stemmed from more than a decade ago, when as a young lawyer he represented the group as it tried to implement the motor-voter law in Illinois that allows voter registration at driver registration agencies. And, in a news conference, he noted that voter fraud does not occur until citizens try to vote.

This isn't actually a situation where people who are going to try to vote, because these are phony names. It's doubtful that Tony Romo is going to show up in Ohio to vote. So, this is another one of these distractions that gets stirred up during the course of a campaign. What I want to make sure of though, is that this is not used as an excuse for the kind of voter suppression tactics that strategies and tactics that we've seen in the past. Let's make sure everybody is voting, everybody is registered, everybody is doing this is a lawful way.

With local officials in several states, including Nevada, investigating suspicious voter registrations produced by ACORN, the organization also is fighting back. Spokesman Scott Levenson told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Monday that Obama's campaign did not, as rumored, pay $800,000 to ACORN, but paid that amount to CSI, a private organization, which in turn hired ACORN for $80,000 to get out the vote in the primaries.

Today, Levenson said that his group was being demonized for trying to "empower the powerless and enfranchise the disenfranchised." Noting that ACORN itself alerted local officials to instances in which its registrations might not be valid, as required by law, Levenson said he was proud of the organization's record of registering 1.3 million voters.

In an interview with CNN, he said complaints from Republicans are "a sad, cynical sign of how desperate the McCain campaign is."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: A police officer entering the ACORN office in Las Vegas on Oct. 7 as part of an investigation into voter fraud. Credit: Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

Comments

[Sunflower]

Is Obama blaming a naive past again associating with a shady organization and if voter fraud is no big deal and nothing to worry about ,than why is it illegal?

[Man Overboard]

Obama's past is finally coming to light. This guy is crook and he has been for years.

ACORN, Ayers, Wright, who else?

Isn't Terrorism, Racism, and now Voter Fraud enough to make people realize that Obama cannot be trusted?

[zorg]

Please, I BEG YOU, talk about this and NOT the ECONOMY!

- I am John McCain and I approve this message

[russ]

It is amazing that during all the voter fraud in the past two elections propagated by the right wing and backed up by FOX (the unfair and unbalanced news channel) that in the light of a democratic landslide against the failings of the republican party we face a bunch of crying conservatives. What they should look at is why the American People are voting against their ideals, their vp and the ever wavering presidential candidate. They know they will lose this election and will blame it on everything but the peoples will. McCain could have won if he didn't have the far right wagging the dog.

Voter fraud doesn't happen until a vote takes place. Is Lamar Smith really that stupid or is he just trying to stir the pot?

[Chris]

What do the headlines scream 'Voter Fraud' when that is not the case? Maybe, the right wing media wants you to think that registering someone as Mickey Mouse means that Mickey Mouse will show up and vote for Barack Obama but common sense should tell you otherwise. What is Mickey's Social Security number and Driver's License number? This is 'Voter Registration Fraud'. In the scheme of things it is pretty minor compared to the efforts of the Republican party to cleanse the voter rolls of Democrats in most of the battleground states. Thanks for doing such a good job covering the real voter fraud. Really.

[Christopher J. Kyricos]

Although I am a Democrat and strongly support Barack Obama, I am deeply offended that Acorn has registered Mickey Mouse to Vote. Mickey has a violent past, far beyond that of William Ayers. On thirty three separate occasions, Mickey (Mouse) fire-bombed the home of Pluto; committed a bank heist (and got away with it) to support an eating habbit for Minnie Mouse (his wife) !! The list goes on and on. This is just one example of voter fraud. How it measures up to the 12,500 votes that were not counted for Al gore will soon be determined after the election.

[Grupp]

Obama spokesman is WRONG when he said "voter fraud does not occur until citizens try to vote." It has been reported than in close precincts, poll workers will use all of those "unused" voter registrations to fill up the ballot box with ballots for the democrat after they find out how many votes they need. That is what happened down in Florida with the hanging chads. If you punch a paper ballot, it has been shown that you can't make a hanging chad or a dimpled chad. You only get a dimpled chad or hanging chad when you attempt to punch multiple ballots at the same time. That is a fact. Voter fraud is how Leftists believe they need to win because they can't win on ideas.

[Someone]

In response to your headline...
Gee, I dunno -- they didn't seem too interested in investigating real voter fraud in years past...oh...wait...right. =p

[Peeping Tom]

Sunflower, did you read the article? McCain also associated with the group.

Man Overboard, your comments are ridiculous. You are obviously hoping that your target audience isn't checking facts, just like McCain and Hockey Mommy.

[DZ]

To the two previous posters. You just don't get it. Before you go slandering an organization like ACORN, why don't you at least open your narrow mind to the facts: The reason you even know about these cases of fictitious voter registrations is because ACORN itself reports them! They anticipate, smartly so, that with the thousands upon thousands of people they hire or people who volunteer to register voters, that there will undoubtedly be some mistakes and even intentional registration of people who do not exist. Therefore, they anticipate it, and then report it as they are required to do by law! Then, because of ACORN's own oversight, those mistakes are corrected and the registrations are trashed.

And, again, just to point out, let's say for the sake of argument that ACORN did not provide oversight and Mickey Mouse was actually registered to vote. Exactly what are you afraid of? That, on election day, Mickey Mouse will roll up to the polls with his valid Mickey Mouse ID and be able to vote?? You are idiots.

[Bill Leder]

What is the LAT and other mainstream media doing with this story? No small wonder that your readership keeps slipping away. ACORN is not just a rightwing, blogger issue. Several states are pursuing fraud charges against this radical, pro Obama outfit. There was a time when the media spurred investigations by their pursuit of the truth. Obviously, the tail is now wagging the dog -- barely.

[Charles]

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Will the Bush Justice Department investigate charges of voter fraud by ACORN?

For weeks, conservative political circles have been buzzing with rumors that a grassroots organization called the Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has been fraudulently registering low-income Americans to vote. There were reports that Mickey Mouse was registered in Florida, that a man named Freddie Johnson registered 73 times, that somehow ACORN was a front organization to elect Democrat Barack Obama.

Today, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee asked the Bush administration's Justice Department to investigate. In a statement, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) said:

Reports that ACORN registered Mickey Mouse to vote are deeply disturbing. American voters depend on their government to ensure that their votes are fairly counted in an election. Unfortunately, organizations like ACORN that perpetuate voter fraud continue to plague the American electoral system. Congress must make it clear that ACORN, and organizations like it, will not be allowed to steal votes and potentially influence elections.

Both sides in the presidential race have accused the other of ties to ACORN.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in an e-mail to supporters, noted that ACORN has endorsed Obama. The Alaska governor added, "We can't allow leftist groups like ACORN to steal this election."

Democrats responded by noting that Republican John McCain spoke at a pro-immigration rally co-sponsored by ACORN in 2006. Today, the group issued a news release saying, "ACORN to McCain: Have You Lost That Loving Feeling?"

For his part, Obama said today that his relationship with ACORN stemmed from more than a decade ago, when as a young lawyer he represented the group as it tried to implement the motor-voter law in Illinois that allows voter registration at driver registration agencies. And, in a news conference, he noted that voter fraud does not occur until citizens try to vote.

This isn't actually a situation where people who are going to try to vote, because these are phony names. It's doubtful that Tony Romo is going to show up in Ohio to vote. So, this is another one of these distractions that gets stirred up during the course of a campaign. What I want to make sure of though, is that this is not used as an excuse for the kind of voter suppression tactics that strategies and tactics that we've seen in the past. Let's make sure everybody is voting, everybody is registered, everybody is doing this is a lawful way.

With local officials in several states, including Nevada, investigating suspicious voter registrations produced by ACORN, the organization also is fighting back. Spokesman Scott Levenson told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren Monday that Obama's campaign did not, as rumored, pay $800,000 to ACORN, but paid that amount to CSI, a private organization, which in turn hired ACORN for $80,000 to get out the vote in the primaries.

Today, Levenson said that his group was being demonized for trying to "empower the powerless and enfranchise the disenfranchised." Noting that ACORN itself alerted local officials to instances in which its registrations might not be valid, as required by law, Levenson said he was proud of the organization's record of registering 1.3 million voters.

In an interview with CNN, he said complaints from Republicans are "a sad, cynical sign of how desperate the McCain campaign is."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: A police officer entering the ACORN office in Las Vegas on Oct. 7 as part of an investigation into voter fraud. Credit: Jae C. Hong / Associated Press

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Is Obama blaming a naive past again associating with a shady organization and if voter fraud is no big deal and nothing to worry about ,than why is it illegal?

Posted by: Sunflower | October 14, 2008 at 01:54 PM

Obama's past is finally coming to light. This guy is crook and he has been for years.

ACORN, Ayers, Wright, who else?

Isn't Terrorism, Racism, and now Voter Fraud enough to make people realize that Obama cannot be trusted?

Posted by: Man Overboard | October 14, 2008 at 02:20 PM

Again...it's really funny how ignorance rears its head as intelligent thought. If he represented the group 10 years ago and has not had any association with them since, what's your point? Should we continue to hold McCain's feet to the fire for his Keating Association (and even thought he earned an acquittal, he WAS charged...show me where they ever charged Obama with anything!) should we continue to trumpet the Palin/AIG connection? I bet you Republicans expect they should get a pass on those items, so do yourselves a favor, and stop kicking around old ghosts before you find out you got more skeletons in your closet you don't want knocked around.

The Ayers connection is also a joke. And Reverend Wright has the right to his opinions and they have nothing to do with Barack. These lame attempts at character assassination are repugnant and continues to show just how out of tough the Republican party truly is. The real news today is THE ECONOMY. The real news today is HEALTH CARE. The real news today is ENERGY. You can talk about those items til you're blue in the face with no consternations ( stay with me here republicans, I know that word may not fit your normal vocab) from the center. Notice, I didn't say left or right. More of the Americans in the true middle (and I don't mean that phantom idea of "middle class") need to stand up be heard. Both the Repugnant Right and the Loony Left need to meet us where we are, and truly give the country back to the people. And some of you posters on here can help a great deal by leaving your ignorance floating in the space around your home. There's enough trash clogging up the internet as it is.

[robert]

I really enjoyed your article, as it was newsworthy without being biased. Everyone else's writing is so careful not to show both sides. Thank you once again for disproving the truism that only biased writing is good writing.

[Ben]

The problem with those statements is that none of them have top do with Obama... As far as ACORN goes. 1% of the forms were bad. ACORN is required BY LAW, to turn in ALL forms received. ACORN also informed the government which forms appeared to be bad. Thus there is really NO fraud. How could there be... The bad forms are not valid. All it means is a little more paper in the trash can. The fake and dead people on the forms wont be voting, thus no voting fraud. It seems like a simple concept to grasp to me...

[TruthStater]

OK, repeat after me

This is NOT voter fraud, no-one has voted yet.

Any bogus registrations, whether they're mistakes or fraudulent, will get picked up when voting time comes.

[Greg]

Luckily, the American people seem to be smart enough to see through the neo-republican drivel and desperate attempts to link Obama with terrorists and voter fraud.

If you want to see someone who *really* hates America, look no further than Todd Palin and his secessionist group. Those guys are scary. Or even John McCain, who sat on the board of the U.S. Council for World Freedom. Look it up! That's even scarier. Not to mention his *direct* involvement in the Keating Five scandal. McCain IS one of the Keating Five. Those are documented facts. Doesn't even hold a candle to the weak allegations against Obama. Oh, but I forget...facts don't matter to the faithful.

Heck the claim that ACORN is trying to steal the vote doesn't even make sense if you think about it. How is someone registered under Mickey Mouse even going to be able to vote??? Hmmmmm.....?

[american guesser]

Just another far-fetched scandal by the right to taint the Obama-Biden ticket....can you say McDesperate?

[John Carpenter]

Re: "ACORN, Ayers, Wright, who else?"

Alexi Giannoulias. A principle in his family owned Broadway Bank that lent $10,000,000 to mobster, Michael 'Jaws' Giorango and who turned a blind eye towards Tony Rezco when he floated $450,000 of bad checks in Vegas from an account held at Broadway Bank.

Obama endorsed Giannoulias for State Treasurer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duzPVxRPhBI

[bimplebean]

The above posters obviously can't comprehend what they read.

"Is Obama blaming a naive past again associating with a shady organization and if voter fraud is no big deal and nothing to worry about ,than why is it illegal?"

No. He clearly spelled out the nature of his association and asserted that voter fraud should be condemned. DUH.

"ACORN, Ayers, Wright, who else?" How about Troopergate, Liddy, deregulation, Rev. Hagee, Rev. Mouthy, The Council for World Freedom, the Alaskan Independence Party, the Keating Five...

We could go at this for a long time. McCain's score would be much higher, much deeper and much more directly incrimminating.

[Rockin' Robot]

Isn't it a good thing that the Supreme Court has ruled it unconstitutional to demand voters present a valid ID?

[Bob Smith]

ACORN has their people scattered through out the city. The News article fails to mention that even tho the person has registered to vote 73 times he can only vote once. Maybe the voter was O.B.C. (Obsessive Compusive Disorder). The only person getting taken is ACORN in paying for the same name 73 times.

[Shawn]

Charles Keating, Phill Gramm, Troopergate, S&L crisis, 3 Navy aircraft destroyed by McCain under dubious circumstances while training, does the right really want to head down that road? Wright, Ayers and ACORN are all great examples of the media playing along with the Rovian tactics of a flailing campaign in its waning days. That's okay though, you can go on thinking how corrupt Obama is for the next 8 years or so.

By the way, just how can you accuse Obama of Racism exactly? Have you seen the guy with the curious George doll? You guys are absolutely shameless.

[captbilly]

What Obama is trying to say is that he is not connected to ACORN but that as far as he knows ACORN has done nothing wrong. ACORN registers both Republican and Democratic voters. ACORN uses volunteers and paid workers and ACORN notified authorities when it saw registrations that it suspected were fraudulent. The state election authorities of all the states in which ACORN has registered Republicans, Independents, Green party, Libertarian, and Democratic voters, guarantee that none of the fraudulent registrations will result in fradulent votes in the actual election.

What seems to have been happening is that some workers for ACORN who were being paid on a per registration basis, were making up fake registration forms so that they would make more money. None of these registrations would be accepted by the state in which they were submitted, so no fraudulent voting would actually occur. In addition it was ACORN itself that reported the suspected fraudulent registrations.

How this is becomming an issue in the election I do not know. It has nothing to do with either candidate, either party, or perhaps even ACORN itself. Somehow some people are miscontruingthis into an attempt by Obama's campaign to steal the election. I am an independent, so I care very little about which party ends up in charge, but with the polls showing Obama 8% ahead and rising (and the polls don't include the newly registered voters) why would his campaign bother to try and steal an election that they are virtually assured of winning anyway. It seems to me that it is in the interest of both parties to have as many Americans as possible invested in the outcome of our democratic election, so why all the BS about ACORN?

[Monk]

This is a tempest in a teapot. Acorn registers Republicans as well as Democrats. And with all the well-documented vote suppression that the Republicans pulled off in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, It's the same old double standard that Republicans somehow think their entitled to.