I got this email today from moveon.org:
We're hearing a lot about the trumped-up charges against ACORN these days—but very little about the massive voter suppression campaign being orchestrated by the Republicans. The GOP is trying to purge thousands of Democratic voters off the rolls in states like Ohio, Florida, and Colorado.1
John McCain and Sarah Palin are falsely accusing a community organizing group—ACORN—of voting fraud to distract the media from their own party's wrongdoing.2 Worst of all: It's working.
The truth is, McCain is vilifying ACORN to justify voter suppression—making it harder for Obama supporters to vote.
The GOP's voter suppression campaign could steal this election. But we can stop them with a rapid-response fund to support legal actions, run newspaper ads to get the media talking about GOP voter suppression, and prosecute anyone who tries to steal this election.
Can you chip in $25 to kick off our No Stolen Elections fund?
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/suppression.html?id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&...
The simple act of raising funds to protect this election will send a warning to right-wing operatives who think they can get away with voter suppression.
For over twenty-five years, Republicans have promoted the myth of voting fraud to argue for restrictive voting laws—but Bush's own Justice Department found virtually no organized voting fraud.3 Now McCain is attacking ACORN in order to justify a frenzy of lawsuits making it harder for Obama supporters to vote.
Here's what he's not telling you:
* The only fraud committed was against ACORN itself. ACORN hired 13,000 workers to register a remarkable 1.3 million new voters. And a few of them turned in registration forms with inaccurate and even made-up names to get credit for work they didn't do. ACORN fired them and turned them over to the authorities.4
* ACORN reported the fraudulent registration forms. In most states, ACORN is required by law to submit all forms collected whether they appear to be bogus or not—that way election officials, not partisan groups, can make the call. ACORN flags cards that may not be legitimate. And in many places, the charges of fraud only came up because ACORN was the one who flagged the cards!5
* This won't have any impact on the election. No one is allowed to vote unless they are properly registered. And there is no evidence of false registrations actually leading to organized voting fraud.6
We can't let false charges of voting fraud distract us from the very real voter suppression campaign that is already well under way.
Republicans are looking for typos on voter registration forms, threatening to challenge homeowners facing foreclosure, and falsely warning that voters with outstanding traffic tickets may be arrested if they go to the polls.7
Help protect this election from Republican voter suppression. Click here to contribute $25 to our No Stolen Elections fund:
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/suppression.html?id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&...
Thanks for all you do.
–Noah, Laura, Ilyse, Daniel and the rest of the team
P.S. You can learn more about the false charges against ACORN by clicking here:
P.P.S. Republicans aren't just smearing ACORN—they're smearing Barack Obama, too, by sending around untrue emails about him.
Have your friends or family ever forwarded you an email with false attacks on Obama? If so, be sure they know the truth. Forward the email to The Center for Political Accuracy, and they'll reply with the true facts for you to respond with:
Sources:
1. "States' Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal," New York Times, October 8, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us/politics/09voting.html
"Check-off box delays thousands of voter registrations," Denver Post, October 14, 2008
http://www.denverpost.com/previous2/home/ci_10713377
2. "ACORN defends efforts amid voter-fraud allegations," Associated Press, October 14, 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081014/ap_on_el_pr/voter_fraud
3. "In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud," New York Times, April 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html
"The Truth About Fraud," Brennan Center for Justice
http://www.truthaboutfraud.org/
4. "The Truth About ACORN's Voter Registration Drives," ACORN
http://acorn.org/quickfacts
"Group Answers Charges of Voter Registration Fraud," New York Times, October 14, 2008
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/acorn/
5. "Voter Group Admits Mistakes, Defends Work," ABC News, October 14, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31241&id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&t=5
"Is there ACORN fraud in Florida?," Orlando Sentinel, October 15, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31239&id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&t=6
6. "'Fraud' vs. 'Suppression'," Politico, October 14, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31240&id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&t=7
7. "After A Surge in Registration, A Surge in Suppression," Brennan Center for Justice, October 7, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31236&id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&t=8
"Democrats fear GOP will turn away foreclosed voters; GOP won't rule out using residency change to challenge a ballot," Indianapolis Star, October 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31237&id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&t=9
"Vote-scam fliers target black neighborhoods," Philadelphia Daily News, October 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31041&id=14429-9231673-4svCYux&t=10
I was involved in Obama's fellows' program over the summer. I was trained over a weekend soon after classes anded. Most of the training was about registering people to vote. In Indiana, all registrations filled out, even partially, must be turned in. No one is asked for ID, one reason is because it is an easy way for identity thefts to get info. People need to fill out the basics- name, address, last four SSN or state driver's license or ID number, birth date, and you can register. If they can't read something or find a problem, they'll mail it back and tell you the problem.
When you vote, you must show your dated, valid Indiana state photo ID. When I was registering new voters, I talked to people. I would explain the entire process to everyone, as well as talk about the candidates honestly. After a month and a half of that, I started running into ACORN workers. These people found flyers all over downtown. and word-of-mouth spread. $8 an hour, minimum of 20 completed registration forms per day. I would run into them, and they asked why I didn't get paid for it. I told them that it's something different to be doing it for money and doing it because a belief in democracy.
I really believe in it, you know. I had several people not believe that I really did end up paying money to help with the campaign (gas prices, car maintenance). I was pissed that ACORN was trampling over our territory, and I really didn't trust them. I got as much information as I could on them, and gave the people I met as much information as I could, including a cheat sheet about registering and voting. The people hired by ACORN were as clueless as anyone else on the streets that had never registered or voted before.
My biggest problem with it was that they weren't giving any, so it seamed, information, including information about fraud. In Indiana, it's practically impossible for anyone to commit voter fraud. Well, I guess you could if you were still registered in different counties. Anyway, ACORN workers are paid $8 per hour, with a quota. It seems very likely that some people will make up names or use the phone book. It isn't voter fraud until someone tries to use the registration illegally.
I realize this does not make it right. I am afraid that all of ACORN's legitimate registrations will become invalid. By the way, we, as well as the people working for ACORN, would register anyone, regardless of political views. I just hope that this gets straightened out. Not only does this affect ACORN, but also every single one of us that spent any time on the street trying to help people take advantage of their right to vote.
Did anyone here register through ACORN? Was there a problem?
As soon as I heard they were paid with a quota, the issue was settled for me. It seems pretty obvious that it was workers trying to make quota and not some insidious Obama-led plot to steal the vote.
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
The downtown office I worked with was just as sketchy about ACORN as I was. No one knew who hired them. The workers had no idea. It is possible that the organization felt that Obama stood more for the people they help, the ones less likely to be registered to vote, and tried to help. I wish they would have left it up to us. We weren't worried about getting fired for not making a quota. We were well informed about every aspect of voter registration and voter fraud. Obviously, if ACORN wants to register voters, they need to educate the people they hire and change the way they pay.
ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is a progressive community-based organization that advocates for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, health care and other social issues. Voter registration is not all they do. I would be proud to work for them. http://www.acorn.org/
A few bad apples do ruin the whole bunch. Our financial crisis is not the fault of every single person involved with mortgage loans that knocked over the first domino to leave us in this economic crisis, It was a handful that didn't want to work hard, and found an easy way to hit their quotas and bonuses,
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."
There are people out there trying to turn it into a big scandal *ahem! McCain*
"Never go with a hippy to a second location."
~Jack Donaghy
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
From http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29072:
"ACORN, the community organizer group claiming over 1.3 million registrations across the country this election cycle, has been under fire in Ohio for a broad range of actions, including registering one man to vote 72 times. The fraud allegations involving ACORN are so widespread that the FBI on Thursday stepped in to investigate the possibility of a coordinated effort on the part of the group to facilitate fraudulent voter registration in 14 states."
(I suggest reading the whole article. Notice nothing is mentioned about the past two "potentially" stolen elections.)
It isn't just McCain's people. Can you imagine how things might change if Obama gets in office?!
This article is funny:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/uselectionroadtrip/2008/oct/17/uselectio...
-Sonja :)
"Democracy works only when you vote. When you don't take the time to vote for the candidate you find the least offensive, you run the risk of electing the candidate you find the most offensive."