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Staff members and volunteers with the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now chant outside the group’s Las Vegas offices Tuesday after state agents carted away documents as part of an investigation of the organization’s voter registration practices.
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008 | 2 a.m.
Related story: Las Vegas office raided in voter fraud probe
Related documents
Beyond the Sun
An investigation into possible voter registration fraud announced Tuesday might discourage blacks from going to the polls, experts said.
Agents with the Nevada secretary of state’s office emptied Tuesday morning the Las Vegas offices of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, carting off boxes and computer records in pursuit of information about illegal registration practices, such as filing voter forms under the names of Dallas Cowboys football players.
Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said the group started registering voters locally in January and “we started having problems with them almost immediately.”
His staff met with ACORN to discuss the problems and the organizers said they had put controls in place, “but those controls weren’t sufficient,” Lomax said. “For example, they bragged they fired over 400 people.”
In a presidential election that may be the most important for minority voters in U.S. history, ACORN was attempting to register members of minority groups whose registration rates have lagged.
So what could the ongoing problems of a high-profile group such as ACORN mean?
Frank Beaty, an ACORN volunteer who showed up in the minutes following the Tuesday morning search, alleged a conspiracy against the group’s effort to empower the disenfranchised.
Rainier Spencer, chairman of the African-American studies program at UNLV, said that idea is easy to find in the black community. “Their perception is, ‘They’re always coming down on us’ ... and they think, ‘Whatever we do, they’re going to stop us from voting.’ ”
So the people ACORN is targeting — minorities who may need help registering to vote because they’re not sure whether they’re eligible because of criminal records or not having driver’s licenses, for example — could be intimidated by ACORN’s troubles. (In Nevada, state law allows some former felons to vote.)
The investigation of ACORN mirrors at least 10 others involving the group nationwide in recent years, some of which have resulted in indictments.
Steven Carbo, senior program director at Demos, a research and advocacy group that works on voting rights and election reform, said the string of cases involving ACORN may turn off black voters.
“My fear is that for disaffected voters of color who don’t feel like political leaders are looking out for their interests, this will reinforce their disaffection,” he said.
“The idea is, ‘The man doesn’t want me to vote, and he’s targeting groups that are trying to help me.’ ”
Charles D. Jackson, an ACORN spokesman, said from New Orleans that the cases of proven fraud involved “rogue employees.” Those cases include a 2007 federal indictment handed down in Kansas City, Mo., after an ACORN employee admitted that he had falsified information on a registration form; felony charges filed the same year in Seattle after ACORN employees filled out forms with names from phone books; and recent complaints from Detroit municipal clerks who said ACORN is turning in the same names on multiple registration forms.
But, Carbo notes, none of these or other cases resulted in someone voting that shouldn’t have, or someone who should have been able to vote not being able to do so.
ACORN this week announced that it had concluded “the most successful voter registration drive in history,” with more than 1.3 million voters in 21 states. Chris Edwards, who works with the local group, said the Las Vegas ACORN effort had registered 90,000 voters since January.
Launce Rake, spokesman for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada — a group that has registered minorities across the state — said he hopes the investigation doesn’t dampen spirits come Election Day.
“We hope no ... legitimate voter is discouraged from voting and that people across the political spectrum join us in that hope.”
Fraud, what else is new.
Democrats made political history by nominating a non qualified African American presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama. A naive, vague junior legislator of less than 2 years with no historical perspective and issues above his pay grade.
Votes present 40 % of the time, has NO executive experience and votes 100% of the time along party lines. This agent of change picked his VP, a man who has been in the US Senate since Nixon was President. No change, with zero accomplishments.
Bought a house from a convicted money launderer, has a racist preacher as his spiritual adviser, associates with an unrepentant 60's radical who admits to bombings of government buildings. His wife, until recently was not proud of America. Not the time for a four year equal opportunity on the job training program. Keep smiling""
Sorry your candidate isn't to too well.
It might be because he doesn't have an original thought in his head or his campaign. All of his ideas about the economy, foreign policy, energy, and heath care all come from the Bush playbook.
His want for "Change" comes from the Obama campaign, his smear tactics come from Bush and the content of it comes from Hillary Clinton's primary campaign.
All of this poppycock about this 60's radical, it was the friggin 60's! Everyone hated the war and the draft. It was a very different time in American history. I could understand the arguments if he was still a radical, but he is not. He has rehabilitated himself, it is 40 years later and everyone deserves a second chance. This is not relevant.
Who cares whom he bought his house from? Do you go around doing back- ground checks on everyone you are acquainted with? Do you know the banking habits of everyone you do business with or for that matter in your personal life?
I am a patriot, I love my country, I love the idea of the American Dream, however, I am not proud of what the Bush administration has done to my country or how the world views my country, so I completely understand Michelle's statements. I am not proud of the road this administration has taken us down.
I am tired of this hate filled administration that rules the roost by instilling fear in the American people. If you like it, more power to you.
I am voting for hope.
Obama08
Well since peter is recycling old posts, so will I. Wow, lots of spin there.
First Ayers was around in the 60s... when Obama was a kid.
Next, Obama didn't vote 100% down party lines; more like 90s%. However, that is no different from McSame who voted with Bush 90% of the time.
As for Biden's age, what about McSame's. He was born in the 30s, I believe 1936. And he's the one trying to offer change? The man isn't even computer literate. While his handicap can account for some of that, technology has evolved to the point where quadrapelegics and people with Lou Gehrig's Disease can STILL use a computer. It's the 21st century, and we need a 21st century leader.
Wow that post had more spin than a washing machine.
I'm surprised the SOS even looked into this.
When is he going to look into campaign financial reports where the real election fraud is ocurring?
Oh, yeah, no cameras and microphones there.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12221294...
Yet another non sequitur by Nance. No lead in, no explanation, just a link. Lame.
Also WSJ is a Murdoch mouthpiece. Of course in 2005 it was all the dems fault, but... oh yeah REPUBLICANS were in charge of BOTH houses.
Moving on...
jfnance32, do you have anything new?
I do.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics...
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congr...
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/06/P...
Ok, I have heard the Rev. Jeremiah Wright speak a number of times. I hail him as an American patriot of the first order. He preaches with great integrity which contrasts from the feel good guys on TV and the comments from lots of folks who don't have a clue as to what a sermon is or a clue about theology. You need to regard comments in the context of history. You also need to listen to the entire sermons and understand that the sound bites make sense if viewed as they were made. I think that all truly honest people of integrity would have to admit that killing Indians and using blacks for medical experiments is unacceptable. Yet today it appears to be acceptable to kill Iraqi and other civilians - perhaps by accident - certainly with the blessing of our government as necessary colateral damage. Jeremiah Wright is a progressive minister - his parishioners regard the fuss about him as a serious abridgment of their rights to worship God as they see fit and a barrier to allowing God to speak to them. Ok, I post this proudly - also you need to understand that Jeremiah Wright was present in the emergency room at Park Hospital in Dallas and attended the dying John F. Kennedy - he was a Navy person at the time and demonstrated his love of America in direct service as a medical corps person and after that he pursued a theological education of the highest quality and with the greatest of integrity. It is too bad that others see fit to denigrate this wonderful man.
The picture above depicts the Obama voter
very well. They are his true constituents.
http://www.sodahead.com/question/163002/...
peterclarke,
correction;
Michelle Obama stated that she has never been proud of anything america has done until the nomination of barack to the democratic ticket. Sounds to me like she hates america, until she gets everything she wants, i call it me, me, selfish me.
What is important to America? Snowmobile deductions or this mess that we have?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12221294...
Nice redundancy. Keep spamming that link in this thread. You've already posted it here. What makes you think people will read it now, if they didn't read it before?
You mean she wasn't proud when he was elected as a Senator? Interesting........
As for the 'black' vote - why can't everyone just get beyond color? If not then let's be concerned about the 'bi-racial' vote since he is, afterall, BI-RACIAL. Some people really don't get it do they? Vote for the MAN not for the color of his skin. In this case it's just too bad we don't really have ANY good choice in a candicate.........
I think it is reasonable to assume that most black persons are offended by the statement: "An investigation into possible voter registration fraud announced Tuesday might discourage blacks from going to the polls, experts said"...the only inference one can make from that sentence, and moreover, from the entire article is that Blacks are for voter fraud...I expect that very few blacks will agree with the 'experts'...
What is disturbing is the Dept of Corrections allowed inmate with identity theft crimes to work for this ACORN organization. Who is responsible for this. The AG and Secretary of State office should investigate the NDOC on who approves and allows inmates to work for these fraud outfits that have been under indictmentin other states. WHo is going to hold the NDOC and responsible is it the AG. This is an embarrasment to our State it was on FOX news.
It is amazing that Republicans continue to allow federal funding of the Democratic run Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
ACORN Fraud in getting democratic voters is nothing new, but why are we paying for it.
ACORN in Ohio is running a sweep of homeless locations and getting them in for same day registation AND voting, and we are paying for it.
In the off election years these ACORN guys run around getting no down sub-prime loans for "poor" people with no income evidence.
This is the Democrat definition of REFORM.
With out doubt these community organizers are milking the system and we are paying for it.
ACORN Lobbyist, Lawyer, Trainer Barack Obama will reward the stromtroopers from ACORN and Union with funding support after after he is elected and the hole will get deeper.
What happened to transparency and tracability and the anti-lobbyist outcry.
It's not amazing when you realize that ACORN makes a handy counterpoint when Republicans are accused of voter fraud (regardless of the differences in scale).