Obama, Voter Fraud, & Acorn

- "Oct 7, 2008, CLEVELAND — Volunteers supporting Barack Obama picked up hundreds of people at homeless shelters, soup kitchens and drug-rehab centers and drove them to a polling place yesterday on the last day that Ohioans could register and vote on the same day, almost no questions asked." As in Michigan during the last presidential election, some were promised that Obama will further entitlements (an empty campaign promise at this time of economic collapse) cigarettes or other things for their votes. (These were not necessarily Acorn employees. Voter Fraud extends further than just Acorn.)

- Sept. 24, 2008, James Terry, Chief Public Advocate for the Consumers Rights League, testified at a hearing by the joint House Administration and House Judiciary Committee that, "ACORN routinely says it will clean up its act. Yet, given its decade-long history of voter fraud, embezzlement, and misuses of taxpayer funds, ACORN’s pattern of fraud can no longer be dismissed as a series of ‘unfortunate events.’ We know about the thousands of potentially fraudulent voter registration cards turned in by ACORN and caught by officials. But given the size of ACORN’s efforts and the fact that the abuses appear to be systemic, we believe it is fair to question how many more fraudulent registrations have not been discovered, Furthermore, as this mega organization with a decades long history of violating the law is turned to get out the vote efforts, we believe it is fair to question how many fraudulent registrations may lead to fraudulent votes or what other activities they are willing to undertake to influence the election."

- He detailed:

- In April 2008, federal prosecutors announced guilty pleas for federal election fraud by eight former ACORN employees in Missouri, based on their activities in the 2006 election. They submitted false addresses and names, as well as forged signatures. At least one former ACORN employee was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

- In 2008 alone, ACORN’s activities have prompted calls for investigations in nearly a dozen states: Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina, with new investigations developing regularly.

- Complaints include not only incomplete, incorrect, or improperly filed forms, but employees had felony criminal records including child rape (gathering personal information on voters), registering underage and dead people, re-registering people innumberable times, using the phone book to register people without their knowledge, and bribing citizens with pre-paid gasoline cards or restaurant gift cards to induce them to register.

- Acorn has a "decades long history of violating the law is turned to get out the vote efforts, we believe it is fair to question how many fraudulent registrations may lead to fraudulent votes."

To read the complete transcript (pdf) of the committee hearing, detailing the exact nature of the fraud, click here.To read a detailed CRL report (pdf) on ACORN, click here

- A 2006 report by Jonathan Bechtle, “Voter Turnout or Voter Fraud?” included a discussion of the nexus between Obama's "Project Vote" and Acorn. According to Bechtle, “It’s clear that groups that claimed to be nonpartisan wanted a partisan outcome.”

- “Case Study: Chicago — The Barack Obama Campaign,” by Toni Foulkes, a Chicago Acorn leader and a member of Acorn’s National Association Board. Foulkes, who was inside the organization, confirms;

• Obama worked with Acorn leader Madeleine Talbot, training her staff.
• Acorn also specifically sought out Obama’s representation in the motor voter case.
• Obama’s post-law school “Project VOTE” was undertaken in direct partnership with Acorn.
• Obama was a key figure in Acorn’s annual leadership-training seminars.
• Obama’s years in the Illinois State Senate indicate strong concern with Acorn’s signature issues, as well as meetings with Acorn and the introduction by Obama of Acorn-friendly legislation on the living wage and banking practices. (Note - These are banking practices that included forcing bankers to give loans to people that couldn't afford them.)
  
  Quote from Toni Foulkes, "we have invited Obama to our leadership training sessions to run the session on power every year, and, as a result, many of our newly developing leaders got to know him before he ever ran for office. Thus it was natural for many of us to be active volunteers in his first campaign for State Senate and then his failed bid for U.S. Congress in 1996. By the time he ran for U.S. Senate, we were old friends."

This article was originally posted at socialpolicy.org/index.php?id=838. It has since been pulled.


- Obama accepted Acorn’s endorsement for the presidency, in pursuit of which he reminded Acorn officials of his long-standing ties to the group.

Did Obama to sit on a foundation board and direct money to an organization that openly served as his key get-out-the-vote volunteers on Election Day? According to Stanely Kurtz, May 2008, "Obama may have been able to direct substantial foundation money to his organized political supporters."

Please help others to know the facts. It appears that the 2008 presidential election has already been compromised - there isn't any way to know how many fraudulent votes have already been cast. Please follow this link to watch "ACORN."