March 28, 2024, 05:49:55 PM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: NEW CHILD BOARD CREATED IN THE POLITICAL SECTION FOR THE 2016 ELECTION
 
   Home   Help Login Register  
Pages: 1   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Fake names get voter registration workers investigated  (Read 2159 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
WhiskeyGirl
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7754



« on: August 07, 2008, 09:50:36 AM »

Fake names get voter registration workers investigated

By LARRY SANDLER
lsandler@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 6, 2008

Criminal investigations could be launched against at least six voter registration workers who tried to add dead, imprisoned or imaginary people to the voter rolls, according to the Milwaukee Election Commission and the organization that employed them.

Officials are reviewing some 200 to 300 fraudulent voter registration cards, Sue Edman, the commission’s executive director, said Wednesday.

And even though the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now caught the fraud and reported it before the cards were turned in, the incident revived a four-year-old partisan debate over the integrity of Wisconsin’s voter registration process, as political groups step up efforts to sign up voters for the Nov. 4 presidential election.

“One woman called us to complain because her husband has been dead for 10 years and a voter registration was submitted,” Edman said.

In about 12 cases, deputy registrars paid by ACORN were “making people up or registering people that were still in prison,” said Carolyn Castore, ACORN’s state political director.

And in other cases, workers used the same address for numerous voters or used driver’s license numbers that did not fit the voters’ birth dates, Edman said. But most of the fraud involved submitting duplicate cards for voters who were already registered, and forging the voters’ signatures, Castore said.

ACORN found the problems and fired a dozen workers, Castore said. Five of them appeared to be working together, she added.

But under state law, all of the voter registration cards collected had to be turned in to the election commission, even if they were clearly fraudulent or incomplete, Edman said. ACORN sent in all the cards its workers had submitted, but flagged the fraudulent or incomplete ones.

Edman said she has referred six individuals to the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office for investigation. More could be referred within the next few days, after the commission staff finishes its review of the registration cards, she said.

Castore said her group would cooperate fully with any official investigation. A prosecutor in the district attorney’s white-collar crime unit did not return a call seeking comment.

Another 1,500 to 2,000 voter registration cards were incomplete, and ACORN is trying to help the commission staff fill in the blanks, Castore said.

Castore said the incomplete and fraudulent cards were a small percentage of the 35,000 registration cards that ACORN turned in, and the suspect workers were a small percentage of 220 or so ACORN deputy registrars.

ACORN paid its workers by the hour, rather than by the voter, Castore said. No one was fired for signing up less than their goal of 20 voters a day, and no one was paid more for exceeding the goal, she said. In 2006, the Legislature banned the practice of paying registrars for each voter signed up, after problems in the 2004 election, when several groups paid workers that way.

The ACORN effort is part of a massive voter registration drive aimed at the fall presidential election, which is expected to pit Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois against Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

ACORN is one of five groups, all from the liberal side of the political spectrum, that sent either paid workers or volunteers to be trained as deputy voter registrars to sign up Milwaukee voters for the fall elections. Although exact figures are not available, Edman said the ACORN workers outnumbered those from Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Obama’s campaign, the Service Employees International Union and the Community Voters Project of the Fund for the Public Interest.

Castore said that ACORN alone turned in 35,000 cards and that other groups turned in 15,000 to 18,000 cards, not counting those from the Obama campaign. Edman said her staff was still processing and counting cards.

(snip)

Thus, Democrats and Democratic-leaning groups have pushed to sign up those voters and have opposed such measures as requiring photo identification to vote, while Republicans and GOP-leaning groups have campaigned for photo ID and raised concerns about voter fraud. Both sides say they are upholding the integrity of the democratic process.

read the rest of the article here -
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=780716

I believe people should show a picture ID at the polling place.  With identity theft so common, I believe it is necessary to protect the integrity of the process.

I look at how many people register with just a utility bill, lease, and a 'friend' to 'vouch' for them.  I think this makes the entire process suspect.  Such people could go from place to place through out the day and vote numerous times.  How would any poll worker know these people do not live in the district? 

I have no problem showing a picture id. 

In this day and age, its hard to do anything without an ID.  The Amish and many who do not agree to pictures, generally do not vote and remain outside the political process.  People have to show picture IDs at the day care to pick up their children, you have to show an id for many things.  I can't imagine that many people DO NOT have them.

jmho
Logged

All my posts are just my humble opinions.  Please take with a grain of salt.  Smile

It doesn't do any good to hate anyone,
they'll end up in your family anyway...
WhiskeyGirl
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7754



« Reply #1 on: August 07, 2008, 09:57:41 AM »

Big voter drive in Milwaukee runs into problems

By SCOTT BAUER and RYAN J. FOLEY | Associated Press Writers
1:44 PM CDT, August 6, 2008

MADISON, Wis. - Workers registering Milwaukee voters for a liberal group turned in hundreds of fabricated forms and many more that were incomplete, raising fears among Republican Party leaders of fraud at the polls.

(snip)

The news unnerved Republican Party leaders who believe widespread fraud in the 2004 election may have handed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry a narrow 11,000-vote victory and fear they will see a replay in 2008.

"I'm glad it was caught in this case. But it was probably the tip of the iceberg," Republican Party executive director Mark Jefferson said.

The group, known as ACORN, describes itself as the nation's largest grass-roots community organization of low- and moderate-income people.

ACORN's state political director Carolyn Castore said the drive recently concluded when the group met its goal of registering 35,000 voters in Milwaukee in the biggest voter drive in Wisconsin this election cycle.

Reports of widespread problems in Milwaukee during the 2004 election sparked a federal review that identified hundreds of ineligible felons who may have voted, people who may have voted twice or used false names and widespread errors in record-keeping. Investigators found no partisan effort to sway the election, but Republicans aren't convinced.

"There are a lot of people who feel the election may have been stolen," Jefferson said.

ACORN's 2004 voter registration drive in Wisconsin was marred by sloppy and fraudulent work, in part because the group paid canvassers on a per-voter basis. Lawmakers banned that practice in 2006.

(snip)

The commission is sending letters to voters with incomplete forms saying it needs more information before they can be registered. Edman said that has created an enormous amount of work for her staff.

"And more importantly, if the application is not completed and we can't reach the person, they are not going to be registered" when they go to vote, she said.

A debate over the best way to run clean elections has raged in Wisconsin for years.

(snip)

Republicans have pushed unsuccessfully for a state law requiring voters to show identification at the polls, arguing that it would eliminate fraud. Democrats, including Gov. Jim Doyle, have countered that it would disenfranchise minorities, the elderly and college students.

A package of election reforms approved by lawmakers in 2006 increased training for poll workers and those registering voters and made it easier to prosecute felons who vote. The Milwaukee police waded into the debate earlier this year with a report examining problems in 2004, recommending the state get rid of same-day registration.

That has not happened but other recommendations, primarily for additional training and more workers, are being followed, Edman said.

"I think we've made tremendous strides over the past three years," she said. "We've addressed all of the problems they identified in the report. We've done everything we could to address all of the issues."

But Jefferson said the chance for problems could be even higher this year given that Wisconsin voters are registering at a record pace. Some 135,000 new voters have signed up since January, bringing the total number of registered voters in the state to 3.4 million.

"We're not afraid of high turnout ... We're not interested in disenfranchising voters," Jefferson said. "What we're afraid of is the election laws not being followed."

read the whole story here -
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-voterfraud,0,1476355.story

I have to wonder if some places will have more registered voters than residents.   

College kids need IDs to drink, drive, apply for financial aid, seniors and the poor need IDs for all the normal every day activities.  IMHO, no reason not to ask for them on election day.  Same with absentee ballots.

Rights also come with responsibilities.  jmho
Logged

All my posts are just my humble opinions.  Please take with a grain of salt.  Smile

It doesn't do any good to hate anyone,
they'll end up in your family anyway...
WhiskeyGirl
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7754



« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2008, 10:13:39 AM »

I remember the last time I voted.  In that small room, I saw several things going on in front of me. 

One woman was told she had already voted that day - how do you spell election/voter fraud?

Two woman came to register, didn't have to show ID, but had a utility bill/lease and one vouched for the other - how do you spell election/voter fraud?

I had my drivers license out and was told I didn't need it.

In these days of identity theft, fraud, and rip-off, maintaining the integrity of the process needs to be job one.  jmho
Logged

All my posts are just my humble opinions.  Please take with a grain of salt.  Smile

It doesn't do any good to hate anyone,
they'll end up in your family anyway...
WhiskeyGirl
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7754



« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2008, 10:16:55 AM »

In today's world, it would be a simple thing to create a false paper trail of utility bills and leases.

Copier, photo-shopped, printer, computer - create legions of phone people on the voter rolls.

It would be a simple thing to scan an ID and say "Whoops, this ID was already scanned today.  Are you the legitimate owner of this ID?"
Logged

All my posts are just my humble opinions.  Please take with a grain of salt.  Smile

It doesn't do any good to hate anyone,
they'll end up in your family anyway...
WhiskeyGirl
Monkey All Star Jr.
****
Offline Offline

Posts: 7754



« Reply #4 on: August 07, 2008, 01:52:57 PM »

What about fraud that involves real drivers license or social security numbers?

I was reminded of this case -

Quote
Hacker indictment greeted with muted response
By JORDAN ROBERTSON – 19 hours ago

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal authorities are calling it the largest hacking and identity theft case yet. But this week's indictments of 11 people who allegedly plundered millions of payment card numbers might not seriously dent the underworld where such crimes occur.

Quote
"It's almost an embarrassment of riches — how do you move 41 million credit card numbers?" asked Jeff Moss, founder of the Black Hat and DefCon hacker conferences, which draw thousands of researchers to Las Vegas every year to learn about the latest vulnerabilities. "That's like trying to rob Fort Knox by yourself."

The alleged ringleader — Albert Gonzalez of Miami — is a former U.S. Secret Service informant, previously arrested on fraud charges but later found to have been involved in the data-theft scheme, authorities said. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted of all charges.

Of the 11 defendants, three are U.S. citizens. The others are from places such as Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus and China, a hodgepodge that reflects the international nature of organized computer crime. Many stolen card numbers are sold by outfits in Eastern Europe

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hlC-7Qgf2_9ytmu5kKBpnEf5XzeQD92D20KG0

Quote
Millions of dollars were involved, and the charging documents outline proceeds in seven-digits amounts such as $3.8 million, $4.9 million, $1.9 million -- to list but a few -- that were transferred.

There was so much cash involved that among the things federal authorities seized from Albert Gonzalez of Miami, whom the U.S. alleges played a key role in the crime ring, was a currency counting machine. Gonzalez was captured in May; police also confiscated a Glock handgun and nearly $25,000 in cash from him at that time.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/080608-doj-credit-card-thefts-helped.html

I have to wonder if anyone bought this info to use for voter fraud.  It would be a simple thing to steal an identity, photo shop some secondary documents, and register a real life persons identity in a new location and/or ask for an absentee ballot.

Other things that come to mind are using the USPS to put in change of address forms for these 'faux' voters and ensuring that the mail is forwarded.  With so much automation, what are the chances that a postal worker will see a piece of mail marked "do not forward"?

Anyone else have ideas about voter fraud?

 
Logged

All my posts are just my humble opinions.  Please take with a grain of salt.  Smile

It doesn't do any good to hate anyone,
they'll end up in your family anyway...
Pages: 1   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Use of this web site in any manner signifies unconditional acceptance, without exception, of our terms of use.
Powered by SMF 1.1.13 | SMF © 2006-2011, Simple Machines LLC
 
Page created in 6.11 seconds with 19 queries.