It appears that the GOP believe so strongly in their false claims
that the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)
is out to commit "election fraud" that they're now issuing warnings in
places where the group isn't even registering voters.
Illinois GOP attorney Brien Sheahan sent a letter to Chicago-area election officials yesterday cautioning them to be on the lookout for the activities of "so-called community groups" such as ACORN.
But according to officials in two of the state's largest election authorities -- Chicago
and Cook County -- it's been years since ACORN registered voters in the area. In fact, ACORN headquarters told us that the group hasn't
participated in voter registration drives anywhere in Illinois during
the 2008 election season.
With ACORN adding a record number of voters to the rolls in swing states this fall, it's no wonder the GOP is fearful of 1.3 million low-income and minority voters heading to the polls on November 4. But their fearmongering about the group -- John McCain said during a debate last night that they may be "perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country" -- just doesn't add up.
Indeed, McClatchy ran a roundup of the Republican challenges to ACORN's registrations and concluded that "mounting evidence of Acorn's sloppy management and poor supervision ... so far doesn't support the explosive charges that the group is trying to rig the presidential election."
Cook County Clerk David Orr agreed that the "voter fraud" charges, particularly in Northwest Indiana, are probably a stretch. Orr correctly noted that it was ACORN officials who initially flagged the questionable registrations there.
Orr also emphasized that Cook County has safeguards in place to ensure problematic registrations don't make their way through. For instance, he said that the county tosses out an estimated five to ten percent of the forms they receive because people file twice.
"I don't want this to become a game of political football," he said in response to the GOP's warning. "We scrutinize very carefully."
Comments
Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 13:51
I find it odd that a group like ACORN that has been around for many years and was embraced by many Republicans both by voting for favorable legislation and by attendance that their events, is all of a sudden at the center of attention.
While there is no doubt that there were questionable tactics and policies, the US Senate and the Whitehouse have not been immune from that as well.
The concern on the part of the GOP is a last ditch effort to help their cause and turn the tide. I suspect his trick will not work, but be there no mistake it is nothing more than a desperate attempt to sway voters in a way that the Republican campaign has not.
If you want to know where there is a serious crime, tell me how we went from a balanced budget to $10 Trillion in debt.
markg8 on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 13:47
My post over at that wingnut site barnyardconservative or whatever it is:
Brien Sheahan as a member of the DuPage County Board really ought to know better. First of all ACORN hasn't run any voter registration drives in IL this year. Second the DuPage County Election Commission is responsible for certifying registrations in this county not the County Clerk. Third there are virtually no cases of illegal voting of any kind by anyone in the USA based on fraudulent registration. But if Mr. Sheahan would like to test that hypothesis I'd happily buy him a Mickey Mouse costume so he can try. If the suit fits wear it.
Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 09:54
Oh yes, and all those people with acorn shirts yelling obama, obama are neutral and non partisan right.
Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 13:07
acorn!!!
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