Ha - it's fraud, and it's bad, but it does make me laugh...

[smeddley]

Questionable Voter Registrations Reviewed

(The long and short of it - a very Democrat organization around the country has been proven to be submitting false and duplicate voter registration cards, and people have even been sent to jail over it. So all you 'the Republicans are skewing the election results' squawkers please keep your hypocrisy to yourself - there's been more than enough *coughdeadpeoplevotingcough* skeevy dealings on both sides, I'm sure. Fair voting is an issue for both parties, make no mistake about it.)

But this made me giggle:

"On Tuesday, authorities in Nevada seized records from ACORN after finding fraudulent registration forms that included the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys. "

It's hard to take fraud seriously when the perpetrators are so stupid. Wait - I guess it could have been worse. They could have registered Ron Weasely, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter!

Comments

[aeamek.livejournal.com]

Yay for more signatures in your posts!

Also, Mickey Mouse was registered recently. That was pretty creative.

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

Damn, I try to get in there and delete them before anyone can see them! It's so annoying, but it's so much easier to e-mail stuff than to try to type it in the text box thingee.

Mickey Mouse is not creative! Sir Loin of Canterbury is creative. Snug L. Bunny is creative. Daphne Ophelia Durrant (D.O. Durrant) is creative. Seriously, people, THINK!

[oneworldvision.livejournal.com]

Odds are there really are several Harry Potters of voting age in this country. I wonder if any of them will have a problem come election day?

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

Probably. Just like all the legitimate 'John Smith's will. I'm not sure if it'd be worse to have a really unusual name, or a really common one. I can definitely say I'd hate to have the same name as a celebrity (or fictional character).

I'm sure there are people who named their kid Harry Potter BEFORE the books came out, and I feel for them, but I'd probably smack someone who named their kid that AFTER the books came out - that's just asking for trouble.

[oneworldvision.livejournal.com]

I can see if it's a family name not wanting to give up that tradition over a kid's book series, but if I ever meet someone who named their kid specifically after the boy wizard, there's going to be a problem.

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

Yeah, those are the people that need a good smack in the head. If you're Harold Potter the IV, or from a long line of Harold Potters, that's one thing. Naming you kid after a fictional character on purpose is quite another!

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Children and Pets named after characters/elements in GRRM's Fire and Ice Series (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/fans/fans-archive.html)

[icecat.livejournal.com]

The problem with ACORN is, I'm sure that there's plenty of legitimate registrations. But it seems to me that they might employ some less than scrupulous independent contractors who make up applications - which would make sense if they got paid per application received. I think they need to screen better and pay per hour instead.

And if it turns out that they do pay per hour and the people who turned in those fake apps were trying to cheat? Shame, shame on them. I don't like political mishandling, no matter who's trying to do it.

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

It was my understanding that they do pay by hour, and there lies the problem, they are hiring low-income individuals, that are trying to stretch the time they log by creating registrations. It's sad really, it seems that they are trying to do good by helping who they are hiring, and yet people are too desperate, or simply unscrupulous. A frustrating situation. But you'd think ACORN would be able to find some solution, hire people to do something else, and only use volunteers for the registration cards.

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

There's an easier solution: use volunteers. I'm kinda against the mass-push for voter registration, because they are aimed at getting people to vote and not getting interested/involved in politics And there is a HUGE difference. I'd rather no vote at all than an uninformed one.

And this irks me:

Ordower said Wednesday that ACORN registered about 53,500 people in Missouri this year. He believes his group is being targeted because some politicians don't want that many low-income people having a voice.

"It's par for the course," he said. "When you're doing more registrations than anyone else in the country, some don't want low-income people being empowered to vote. There are pretty targeted attacks on us, but we're proud to be out there doing the patriotic thing getting people registered to vote."

Davis estimated there may be around 1,000 questionable registration cards in her office she can attribute to ACORN.

"They're stamped ACORN," she said. "They say ACORN right on them. We're not guessing."

Whah whah whah 'you're picking on us because we're registering Democrats and the nasty Republicans are out to get us'. No, you're being targeted because you have a track record of verified fraud. That grates on my nerves.

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

But Cummins notes that when there is fraud connected to groups like ACORN, it is often perpetrated upon them, not by them. The groups sometimes pay workers by the number of registrations they turn in, which can lead some of the workers to falsify registrations to earn more money. Others, paid by the hour, falsify registrations so they can appear to have logged extra time.
...He also notes that most of these fraudulent registrations will never be used to vote. (http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/21/us_attorneys/index1.html)

It was my understanding, that by most state's law, groups such as ACORN, are required to submit all the registration cards. But that ACORN does make the effort to flag suspicious (and obvious) registrations. Which makes sense, I don't want some non-governmental group to decide on their own that my registration is fraudulent when it's not (thus the state law protecting me), but it doesn't seem that ACORN is trying to slip these ridiculous registrations by either. Obviously there are problems with ACORN, but I think the mudslinging has gotten out of hand (regarding that oooh, Obama is evil and untrustworthy because he once had an internship there), but I agree with you, fair voting IS an issue for both parties.

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

"Which makes sense, I don't want some non-governmental group to decide on their own that my registration is fraudulent when it's not"

So do the logical thing - the thing I tell everyone they should do. Register with your local DMV or through your local election office. There is ZERO need for 'voter recruitment'. Like I said above, if you have to go out of your way to get someone signed up to vote - something they are asked about when they get their driver's license (in this state, anyway) - what are the chances 1) they'll make an effort to even vote and 2) they will make an informed vote? (And my irritation with ACORN is their 'VICTIM!' card they're throwing - it's not, you know, logical, to scrutinize a foundation that has people convicted of fraud! It's all about REPRESSION!)

It's also about a lot more than the presidential election. Yes, that is big. But there are two questions on my ballot that will probably (realistically) impact me as much - a sales tax issue and a bond issue. Both could take me for a lot of money, and while it might be worth it for the community, it might not. I have to take some time to think about it and weigh it - not just randomly punch 'yes' or 'no' on election day.

I don't want people to vote because someone tells them to. I want them to care. I want them to understand the issues. And if they can't get off their asses to register with the county (as I said, pretty damn easy here - in person or on-line) maybe they shouldn't bother. Because if they don't care enough to put forth that effort, what kind of effort are they going to put into their vote?

[http://users.livejournal.com/anam_cara_/]

Yeah, I was actually thinking along these lines after posting and thinking about the ACORN issue. I've wondered the same, I mean, it's a very simple matter to get registered. I hesitated on it, because I began to think about times when it isn't so simple, a case close to home- college students- do they register at school, or absentee from home? Obviously one or the other, and it may take some pushing to make sure they are in line with any state laws on the matter and that they do it according to state deadlines. In larger cities, everyone isn't necessarily going to have a license, but everyone should be aware how to register regardless, right? Or am I taking things for granted? I honestly don't know if I'm overlooking hurdles that other demographics may face, thus I'm hesitant on saying there is no need, but I agree, the constant barrage of people that ask- "are you registered? do you need a form?" always shocks me.

But I agree, people should care enough to put the effort in, absolutely. And hell, too many people 'care' enough to make the effort to vote that don't 'care' enough to make the effort to be the least bit informed about their vote. Which is why I may be furious with oh, say, my uncle for voting Republican, but not furious with you. I know that you are making a well-thought out decision (albeit different than my own), whereas he believes he wouldn't be a good Christian if he ever voted Democrat.

[smeddley.livejournal.com]

So you totally support my writing in Rudolph (the red-nosed reindeer)? Cool! I figured I'd catch a lot of flak over that...

I... I honestly don't know how I'm going to vote now. It's frustrating, because I could overlook a lot I didn't like of McCain for what I did, but with the bailout thing... both he and Obama not only voted yes, but actively pushed others to do so. And I happen to disagree with that, and since economics is my main *federal* voting issue... well... I'm not a happy camper. So it's grit my teeth and still vote for the 'lesser of two evils' as I see it, or maybe seriously investigate the Libertarian, if he's on the ballot in my state.

I immediate dismiss anyone who votes along party lines just to vote along part lines. If the words "I would *never* vote for a [opposite party]" come out of anyone's mouth I know they're an idiot. There are plenty of situations where the best person for the job happens to belong to the other party, and shame on you if you can't see it. It's no different than voting for someone solely based on race or gender. And that, sadly, is what people can't see past. For every person who won't vote Obama because he's black, there's someone who will vote for him just because he's black. And that's sad.

[foxfirefey]

The reason you have trouble taking this fraud seriously is because screaming about this is a total red herring. This isn't going to lead to voter fraud that throws the election.

Voter registration fraud isn't voter fraud until someone makes a fraudulent vote. Those people making those bum registrations to pad their income? Aren't about to go vote using those registrations. And it's kind of obvious that they're not, when they're using such fake names.

Additionally, ACORN in many states is REQUIRED to turn in ALL registration forms, even if they are hokey. ACORN can flag problematic ones, but they have to turn them in. There's a good reason for that--the last thing you'd want is for ACORN to do something like disenfranchise Republican registrants by not turning in those registrations!

People are working to cull all of the invalid registrations.

[dynastic-queen.livejournal.com]

Hehehehehehehe. Nicely done, goddess. :D