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By Michael B. Brodkorb | July 16, 2008
St Paul - Republican Party of
Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey today released the following statement
after Al Franken was endorsed by ACORN.
“Al Franken’s endorsement from the highly controversial ACORN may
come as no surprise for a group with such long ties to liberal
candidates, but it raises serious questions about Franken’s judgment.
ACORN has a reputation across the country for questionable voter
registration and activities and many employees of ACORN have either
been found guilty or pleaded guilty to committing voter fraud. Voting
is one of the most important parts of our democracy, and Franken’s
embrace of a group that shows such little regard for the integrity of
the election process is extremely disturbing.”
ACORN: A Primer
ACORN Workers Have Been Convicted In Wisconsin And Colorado, Under Investigation In Three Other States.
“We wish this were an aberration, but allegations of fraud have tainted
Acorn voter drives across the country. Acorn workers have been
convicted in Wisconsin and Colorado, and investigations are still under
way in Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania.” (“The ACORN Indictments,”
Wall Street Journal Online, November 3, 2006)
1,492 fraudulent registrations were submitted by ACORN in St. Louis, Missouri including a 16-year-old and deceased individuals.
“The St. Louis Election Board says it has received close to 1,500 voter
registration cards leading up to the deadline of registration that
appear to be frauds, including some from dead people, and at least one
from a 16-year-old girl.” (Jeff Douglas, “Voter registration fraud
alleged in St. Louis,” The Associated Press, 10/11/06)
Eight former ACORN employees in Missouri pleaded guilty to fraud. Eight
workers for a get-out-the-vote effort in St.Louis city and county have
pleaded guilty to federal election fraud for submitting false
registration cards for the 2006 election, authorities said Wednesday.
The workers were employed by the Association of Community Organizations
for Reform Now to gather voter registrations. U.S. Attorney Catherine
Hanaway said they submitted cards with false addresses and names, and
forged signatures. Each faces up to five years in prison and thousands
of dollars in fines. The organization has said the former, temporary
hourly workers were likely trying to increase their pay by turning in
more, albeit, false applications. (“Ex-ACORN workers plead guilty to
fraud”, Columbia Tribune, 4/6/08)
A federal judge today sentenced
the last of four defendants indicted for voter registration fraud on
the eve of the 2006 elections. Kwaim A. Stenson was sentenced to
four months and five days. He will report to a half-way house in
Springfield next week. Other defendants in the case also received light
sentences. For example, Brian Gardner and Dale D. Franklin received
probation, while Carmen R. Davis was sentenced to 120 days in a halfway
house. (“Voter fraud defendant sentenced”, The Kansas City Star,
09/05/07,)
4 voter registration recruiters indicted on fraud charges. All
four face two felony counts each of “knowingly and willingly” filing
false information. The charge carries maximum penalties of five years
in prison and a $250,000 fine. as many as 15,000 recently submitted
voter registrations could be “questionable,” which they define as
duplicates, unreadable applications or containing information that
doesn’t match other existing records. Last week the board chairwoman,
Melodie Powell, said the board had turned the investigation of the
questionable cards over to local and federal authorities. (Dave
Helling, “False voter registrations allegedly submitted; Four who have
been indicted had worked as registration recruiters for ACORN group,”
The Kansas City Star, 11/2/06)
“Election Officials In Three Of Ohio’s Largest Counties Have Cited
Problems With Hundreds Of Voter Registration Cards. ACORN Is Accused Of
Submitting Cards With Nonexistent Addresses, Forged Signatures And, In
One Case, For Someone Who Died Seven Years Ago.” (Andrew
Welsh-Huggins, “Voter Fraud Allegations Still Tripping Up Voting Rights
Group,” The Associated Press, 10/2/06)
Felony criminal charges have been filed against seven employees and
supervisors of ACORN for the fraudulent registrations submitted in King
County, Washington.
The criminal charges are in addition to the settlement requiring ACORN
to increase its training and pay fines. The settlement also states
that ACORN may be held criminally responsible if the fraud occurs
again. (Keith Ervin, “Felony charges filed against 7 in state’s biggest
case of voter-registration fraud,”, The Seattle Times, 07/26/07)
Three of seven defendants in the biggest voter-registration fraud
scheme in Washington history have pleaded guilty and one has been
sentenced, prosecutors said Monday. The defendants were all temporary
employees of ACORN when they allegedly filled out and submitted more
than 1,800 fictitious voter-registration cards during a 2006
registration drive in King and Pierce counties. Ryan Olson, 28, of
Needles, Calif., was the first to be sentenced. He pleaded guilty to
two counts of providing false information on a voter-registration
application, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail or in electronic home
detention. Tina Johnson, 24, of Tacoma, and Jayson Woods, 20, of
Elkridge, Md., also have pleaded guilty to eight counts each of
registration fraud, and are awaiting sentencing. Three of the
remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to
appear in court in November, and one has been charged with voter fraud
and is wanted for failure to appear in court. (“Three plead guilty in
fake voter scheme”, The Seattle Times, 10/30/07)
Pierce County, Washington will purge 230 fraudulent ACORN
registrations from rolls, including celebrities and deceased persons.
ACORN workers submitted more than 1,800 registration forms in King
County and about 1,400 in Pierce County in fall 2006. Last summer, King
County prosecutors charged seven ACORN employees with submitting false
information on voter-registration cards. Five of the seven have since
pleaded guilty. Two ACORN employees admitted falsifying registrations
in Pierce County. ACORN workers, who earned $8 an hour, flipped through
phone books or made names up when they fell short of quotas they were
supposed to meet, said Allen Rose, a Pierce County deputy prosecutor.
In a few cases, the workers appeared to have used the names of
celebrities. Pierce County received registrations for “Veronica Mars,”
a character in the television series of the same name, and “Pat
Tillman,” a football player who left the NFL to become an Army Ranger
and died in Afghanistan in 2004. Last year the King County Canvassing
Board removed 1,762 fraudulent registrations from King County’s voter
list. (“Pierce County to pull 230 names off voter list”, Seattle Post
Intelligencer, 2/3/08)
ACORN Regarded As “Shock Troops” For Democratic Party.
“Operating in at least 38 states (as well as Canada and Mexico), Acorn
pushes a highly partisan agenda, and its organizers are best understood
as shock troops for the AFL-CIO and even the Democratic Party.” (“The
ACORN Indictments,” Wall Street Journal Online, November 3, 2006)
ACORN’s Questionable Activities Extend To Minnesota:
Former Minnesota ACORN Employee’s Car Contained Hundreds Of Voter Registration Cards In Trunk.
“When police at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport stopped a
man for running a stop sign late last month, they found an unusual
stash in his car trunk: More than 300 voter registration cards that had
been filled out but never submitted to the Minnesota secretary of
state. The motorist allegedly told police that he was an ex-employeeof
ACORN…” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards Probed,” Saint Paul
Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)
ACORN Employee Charged With Felony For Not Turning In Cards. “A
man arrested in late September with more than 300 completed voter
registration cards in the trunk of his car was accused Friday of
committing a felony offense for allegedly failing to turn in the cards
to election officials promptly.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Voter Registration
Cards Bring Felony Charge,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/16/04)
Same Ex-ACORN Employee Faced Felony Drug Charges And Misdemeanor Shoplifting Charge.
“The man stopped at the airport is Joshua Reed, 19, of St. Louis Park.
He faces two unrelated criminal charges, a felony drug case in Hennepin
County and a misdemeanor shoplifting case being prosecuted by the St.
Louis Park city attorney.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards
Probed,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)
Worker Said He Was Fired For Copying Cards, But ACORN Disputed Claim. “Much
of what is publicly known about the case comes from a memo written by
Bert Black, a legal analyst in Kiffmeyer’s office. In the memo, Black
said investigators told him that Reed ‘indicated he had been fired from
ACORN for making copies of the cards.’ Becky Gomer, the head organizer
in Minnesota for ACORN, denied that Reed was discharged for copying
cards. ‘That’s absolutely not true,’ she said. She said Reed was one of
a number of canvassers whom ACORN paid $1 for each new voter
registration they secured and, she said, ACORN supervisors discharged
him because representatives of the county attorney warned ACORN that
they suspected he was registering some voters twice to double his fee.
‘So we let him go,’ she said.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Stash Of Voter Cards
Probed,” Saint Paul Pioneer Press, 10/8/04)
ACORN Worker Pleaded Guilty To Two Felonies. “A man who was arrested in late
September with hundreds of filled-out voter registration cards in
the trunk of his car pleaded guilty Monday in Hennepin County District
Court to two felonies. Joshua Reed,19, of St. Louis Park admitted
failing to promptly turn over the voter registration cards to the
Secretary of State or to a county auditor, and admitted forging
signatures on 18 other voter registration cards. Reed faces sentencing
Jan. 20 before Hennepin County District Judge Joanne Graham, according
to County Attorney Amy Klobuchar.” (Patrick Sweeney, “Man Pleads Guilty
In Vote Card Scam,” Pioneer Press, December 7, 2004)
ACORN Settlement From Minnesota AG Comes Under Question:
ACORN Received $249,999 From Company Under Investigation By Attorney
General Mike Hatch; ACORN Later Endorsed Hatch For Governor. “Attorney
General Lori Swanson and her predecessor, Mike Hatch, have come under
question for their role in a court settlement that diverted money to a
nonprofit whose political wing endorsed Hatch’s bid for governor.
Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles recently asked Swanson and Hatch to
explain the 2006 settlement, which required a credit card company
accused of violating consumer protection laws to give $249,999 to a
community advocacy organization, Minnesota ACORN. Its political action
committee endorsed Hatch three weeks later.” (Pat Doyle, “AG Office
Queried About Diverted Funds,” Star Tribune, June 30, 2008)
