Dont Forget To Clean Your Own Backyard

Get Rid Of All ACORN(S).

I. What you should know about ACORN.

1. ACORN and its affiliated groups always collect record number new voter registrations.

2. They most always target “swing” states, states where they have targeted key statewide office holders, or states where key Senatorial races are at stake.

3. They recently have been filing voter registrations on the eve of the closing date for filing, thus overwhelming county registrars and making it nearly impossible verify a vast majority of new registrations prior to a pending election.

4. When issues are raised, the response is always the same. They cannot control the actions of a few bad apples and vow to cooperate with any investigation.

5. ACORN does not always operate under the name “ACORN”. In one instance, an investigation conducted by No Quarter found 25 different businesses registered to an address in New Orleans including ACORN, CSI Inc., Project Vote, and the SEIU. (1)


II. A History of ACORN and Vote Fraud.

1. In 2006, ACORN submitted just over 1,800 new voter registration forms in one Washington state county alone. A subsequent investigation revealed all but six of the 1,800 submissions were fakes. (2)

2. On November 2, 2006, a federal grand jury in Kansas City indicted four ACORN employees for “knowingly and willingly” submitting false information to election authorities. The four allegedly submitted 15,000 fraudulent voter registration forms including ones with fake names, signatures or addresses. (3)

3. In 2006, St. Louis election officials were so inundated with Acorn-generated voter registrants that they mailed a letter to 5,000 registrants, requesting the recipients to contact them. Fewer than 40 responded. Over 1,000 addresses listed on its registrations did not exist. That investigation did not close until December, 2007 when 8 ACORN workers were indicted. (4)

4. August 18, 2008. The Bernardillo County (New Mexico) Clerk’s office turns over more than 1000 suspected bogus registration cards submitted to their office by ACORN. (5)

5. August 28, 2008. Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio) election board officials reported they are investigating 75,000 registrations submitted by ACORN to determine if there is enough evidence of fraud to refer the case to the county prosecutor. (6)

6. September 14, 2008. Michigan reports high number of fraudulent voter registrations submitted by ACORN. (7)

7. October 1, 2008. ACORN is found to have appointed 7 convicted felons as deputy voter registrars in Wisconsin. (8)

8. October 7, 2008. The Las Vegas Sun reports that ACORN’s offices were raided. Although ACORN claims it had been cooperating with authorities, ACORN only responded to subpoenas. In a 19-page affidavit by criminal investigator Colin Hayes of the Secretary of State's office, Hayes said 59 inmates worked for ACORN between March 5 and July 31. (9)

9. October 9, 2008. Lake County Indiana officials are inundated with new voter registrations, including 5000 filed by ACORN. As of the date of the report, Lake County officials have found that upon verification about half of ACORN’s submissions were fraudulent. (10)

10. October 10, 2008. Philadelphia’s voter registration administrator rejected 57,000 (so far) of registrations submitted by ACORN and other groups. (11) Philadelphia had a similar problem with ACORN registrations in 2004 when it was inundated with more than 190,000 registrations (38 percent of the half-million votes cast in Philly in the last presidential election)on the eve of the submission deadline. (12)

10. October 13, 2008, the Cuyahoga County bipartisan election board voted unanimously to refer the case to the local prosecutor. One of the new voters, Freddie Johnson, 19, of Cleveland, said he signed 73 voter registration forms over a five-month period. In return, ACORN canvassers gave him cigarettes or cash, about $20 in all, he told WEWS-TV in Cleveland. (13)

11. October 24, 2008. More than 43,000 Minnesotans registered to vote this year through ACORN.(14)

12. November 1, 2008. In Marion County, Indiana, ACORN operatives turn in registrations for 105% of the voting age population. (15)

The above referenced is not an exhaustive list of ACORN's involvement with submission of bogus voter registrations. What we will never know is how many fraudulent voter registrations go unnoticed or unreported. And ACORN is not the only organization out there committing these acts. Democracia USA, a subsidiary of the National Council of La Raza, was caught doing similar acts in Florida. (16)

What is quite scandalous is that these groups have been recipients of taxpayer dollars (15) and were to be pork recipients of the recent Wall Street bailout. (17)

It also these same Democrats that consistently oppose voter-id laws, citing that there is very little evidence fraudulent votes are cast on election day. (18) As a former prosecutor, I can tell you that it is almost impossible to detect fraudulent votes. Verifying voter registrations en mass is a task most election boards do not have the budget, time, or staff to accomplish. Moreover, even if you discover post election that someone with a registration listed to a boarded up building or a vacant lot voted, it is almost impossible to identify and prosecute a perpetrator.

Thus, it is imperative for all state and local GOP organizations to recognize the importance of defending the integrity of the ballot box. It is crucial that voter-id laws are established in those states where they are non-existent. Even is states where Democrats control legislatures or governorships, public pressure can be a major influence as most Americans back such legislation. (19) Poll watchers on election day must be high on any organization's list of priorities, particularly in those precincts where one suspects voter fraud might occur.

And if anyone doubts that fraud can influence the outcome of elections, I wonder what Norm Coleman in Minnesota might opine about that. Or just ask Jim Talent who lost his Missouri U.S. Senate seat to Claire McCaskill by less than 50,000 votes. It has been well documented that ACORN sent troops into Missouri under the guise of supporting a minimum wage referendum and in fact were actively campaigning for McCaskill. (20) If nothing else, I'm sure some candidates would love to have the "intelligence" gathered by such drives (names, emails, phone numbers, cell phone numbers) in their database to help GOTV efforts. The following is one example of a GOTV effort in Ohio: Video

P.S. All of you local officials need to push for enhanced penalties on violations of exiting state voter fraud laws, or draft new ones. In most instances, the U.S. Attorney's office will not prosecute "small" cases, nor cases where the probability of a guilty finding is NOT almost guaranteed.

Thus, it is imperative that county prosecutors start engaging against voter fraud. I know it's easier said than done. I cannot point to 1 case of voter fraud prosecuted by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. That has to change if we are to preserve the sanctity of the ballot box. Know that the voters are with you on that issue and forge ahead.

I am Paul Fuentes and I approve of this message. It is not above my pay-grade.