Despite Voter Fraud Accusation, No Rush For Poll Watchers

NorCo voting machine, minus
the privacy curtain

Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has repeatedly raised the specter of voter fraud in the November 8 election, particularly in Pennsylvania, and has called on his supporters to “go around and watch other polling places.” But according to three different elections offices, there's been no cascade of requests for poll watcher certificates.

Poll watchers are individuals designated by a candidate or party to make sure that only registered voters cast ballots. They are to have no contact with voters, but can challenge someone's identity or residence with the elections judge.

According to Northampton County Voting Registrar Dee Rumsey, she's received no requests for poll watcher certificates from anyone. But she said she expects to be flooded with requests right before the election.

Lehigh County Voting Registrar Timothy Benyo has only received requests for poll watcher certificates from Congressman Charlie Dent. He said that requests for poll watcher certificates after October 25 will only be produced as time permits.

How about Philadelphia and its 700,000 voters? According to Deputy City Commissioner Donald Garecht, the City usually receives requests for poll watcher certificates for every person. But he said that even his office has seen no deluge of requests.

I am working on a more detailed story on the machines in use in each of these counties and the likelihood that they can be hacked. That story will appear in The Bethlehem Press next Wednesday, after which I will publish it here.

Voter Fraud Does Exist

To those who say voter ID laws are completely unnecessary and that there's no such thing as voter fraud, it would seem that it does exist after all. According to The Express Times, NorCo detectives have charged an elderly man with doing just that in two different states in the 2012 election.

Voter ID? No Big Deal, or Is It?

Steve Samuelson, Joe Brennan, Bob Freeman all vote No.

Signed into law by Governor Corbett late yesterday, Pennsylvania's controversial new voter ID law was adopted almost entirely along party lines. That's almost never a good idea, whether it's voter ID "reform" or the sweeping changes to health insurance that gave birth to the tea party.

Locally, two State Reps. have condemned this legislation. Joe Brennan (D-Lehigh/Northampton) calls it a "terrible bill intended to disenfranchise and suppress our Pennsylvania citizens from being a part of the democratic process." Bob Freeman (D - Northampton) adds that the legislation is "unnecessary," and worries that "the group of people most hurt by this legislation will be our senior citizens."

Freeman points to an 86-year-old World War II veteran from Aurora, Ohio, who was prevented from voting earlier this month because of Ohio's new photo voter ID law. He did not have a driver's license and his veteran's ID was not acceptable.

"That story will be replicated here in Pennsylvania over and over again," predicts Freeman. "Shame on those who support this legislation if it puts veterans in that position so they cannot cast a ballot -- they who defended this country, and that's what this legislation would do."

Brennan points out that the League of Women Voters, AARP and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania all opposed this legislation, which will cost from $4.3 million to $11 million. Brennan added that there likely will be additional costs to defend the legislation in court. A judge in Wisconsin has struck down that state's voter identification after a legal challenge. The U.S. Justice Department blocked South Carolina's voter ID bill in December and has stepped in to block Texas’ voter ID law.

"This bill is nothing more than a waste of taxpayer dollars attempting to fix a problem that doesn't even exist," Brennan said. "Voter ID is a waste of time and taxpayer money when we should be focused on jobs and the economy."

During the House debate, Republicans downplayed the ID requirement, noting correctly that we must produce IDs for cigarettes, beer, or even to get into our gym.

What's the big deal?

Feisty Philly State Rep Babette Josephs answers the "What's the big deal?" argument in the video clip below. "Nobody dies to swim in a pool, no matter how good he or she was at swimming. Nobody died to buy a pack of smokes. Nobody died for the right to buy a drink. Nobody died for the right to open a credit account or a bank account. We have died - we are dying now - for the right to vote. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the big deal."

Well said, Babette. Well said.

LV Congressman Charlie Dent gets a little nutty when it comes to ACORN. It describes itself as "the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people with over 400,000 member families organized into more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in 110 cities across the country." It's Project Vote added 1.3 million voters to the rolls in 2008, including 153,000 here in Pennsylvania. These were mostly Democrats. So it's no surprise that Dent, as blogger Pam Varkony notes, wants to turn off the federal faucet that has poured $53 million into this organization since 1994.

This is nothing new. Last October, Dent was one of the Pennsylvania Republican Congressman who asked the state AG to investigate allegations of what really amounts to voter registration fraud, in which canvassers register dead people or supply false registrations. Now, he's cosponsored legislation to deny federal funding to ACORN, and the language of that bill was incorporated into another piece of legislation that passed the House.

Congressman Dent has also co-signed a Congressional letter to the President, asking for the disclosure and termination of all federal funding to ACORN. The Census Bureau has already cut off its association.

Dent believes ACORN has become too tainted by all these allegations of impropriety. In a statement released yesterday he acknowledges "[t]here may be some well-intended, honest volunteers who are not involved in illegal activity at ACORN. I suggest they contribute their time to one of the many legitimate housing and anti-poverty organizations that provide help for vulnerable citizens without becoming embroiled in the fraud and corruption that has continually surrounded ACORN.”

Former LV Canvasser Claims ACORN & CWA Have Quotas

On Saturday, I told you that I told you state Republicans are getting a little nutty over ACORN. They seek a statewide investigation into voter fraud even though this grass roots organizer ended its registration efforts last May, at least in the Lehigh Valley.

Then I heard from a fellow, a left-leaning commenter who would rather stay below the radar. He spent a few days working for Allentown's Clean Water Action, an organization that by its own admission runs "muscular and effective grassroots campaigns to defeat anti-environment candidates, and support candidates who are committed to protecting our waters, our health, and our future."

Here's what he tells me. Remember, this is just one person's perspective.

We had a kid work one day with us who use to work for ACORN. Apparently ACORN in Allentown would pull people off the street and ask, 'Would you like to make $10 a hour?' Needless to say, this is not the most crafty way to get good canvassers. A ad in the Treasure Hunt would be better. Many ACORN canvassers/community organizers, may very well be poorly educated and desperate to make quotas.

I was cut loose from Clean Water Action after three days for not meeting fundraising quotas. Had I maybe made up names, I could have stayed. All these non-profits that go door to door have crazy quotas. These groups are rather shady and are definitely pro-Democrat.

Clean Water Action will be hired (I sat in the meeting my last day) by a still unknown but Democratic campaign to do the GOTV. CWA is a non-profit. This sounds like a for profit venture. They have really been stumping for Bennett and may most likely do her GOTV.

Clean Water has a PAC that is permitted to engage in political activity. My concern is that groups like Clean Water and ACORN are sloppy when they canvass. I don't buy the theory that there is some deep, dark conspiracy to steal the election. I do believe, however, that paying people to canvass for registrations, should probably be illegal.

Pa. Congressional Republicans Get Nutty over ACORN

ACORN, as most of you probably know, is "the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people with over 400,000 member families organized into more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in 110 cities across the country." It's Project Vote has added 1.3 million voters to the rolls, including 153,000 here in Pennsylvania.

Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent, however, is concerned that ACORN is engaging in "illegal political activity, including voter fraud." So he wants the state Attorney General to go after the ACORNs with his nutcracker. He's joined by Jim Gerlach, Phil English, Tim Murphy, John Peterson, Joe Pitts, Todd Platts, and Bill Shuster, all of whom just happen to be Republicans. Not a single Democratic House member has joined this request.

Hmmm.

Are these Republican Congressman really worried about voter fraud or are they instead concerned that the 153,000 new voters in Pennsylvania, mostly low-income and minority, are registered as Democrats? One thing is clear. Pennsylvania's Republican Congressman are just part of a larger GOP choir, which includes a “fact sheet” from the Republican National Committee and a McCain web ad.

Pennsylvania's Congressional Republicans claim there are three reasons why Corbett needs to become a nutcracker with ACORN.

Reason 1: In July 2008, Dauphin County election officials investigated over 100 suspicious applications submitted by ACORN. In July, a former ACORN worker was questioned by a Dauphin County detective after turning in between 100 and 150 questionable registration forms. He was finally arrested on Saturday, and is accused of submitting phonies to justify his paycheck. This is one person, not some deep conspiracy.

Reason 2: In June 2007, a Berks County woman employed by ACORN was arrested for alleged voter fraud, including falsifying registrations and registering dead people. Wendy Godfrey was charged with dozens of counts of repeat registrations, false registrations and deceased registrants. But here's the kicker. She never actually worked for ACORN. According to a Berks County official who asked to remain anonymous, she and a boyfriend pleaded guilty to some form of voter registration fraud, and the case is closed. That's two people, not a deep conspiracy.

Reason 3: In September 2006, nearly 100 fraudulent voter registration applications were filed in Delaware County, prompting the District Attorney’s Office to issue an identity theft alert. All 100 applications were filled out by four individuals working for ACORN. I don't know about two years ago, but have no reason to doubt the claim. I do know the Delaware County DA is currently investigating 290 questionable registrations.

Under Pennsylvania law, it is illegal to pay canvassers by the card. But it's apparent some poorly trained canvassers are just filling in some blank cards to get a quick buck. It scares the hell out of Republicans, but it's not really voter fraud. It's voter registration fraud, and ACORN is technically one of the victims. Canvassers are paid . . . well, acorns, and they tend to do sloppy work. As blogger Rick Hasen notes at Huffington Post, "ACORN needs to find a different business model for registering voters, even if it means that fewer voters will be registered and fewer low income people employed in the voter registration business."

But don't kid yourself. The entire Dallas Cowboys may be registered in thirteen different states, but they won't be voting.

No statewide investigation is necessary.

Update: Tne Morning Call reports today that ACORN ended its voter registration efforts in the Lehigh Valley at the end of May, and that as many as 20 out of 100 registrations were invalid in Lehigh County. The American Spectator reports that retired Justice Sandra Newman is concerned November's election will be fair. I don't think this concern is justified. It is one thing to submit a bogus form. It is quite another to engage in actual voter fraud. No one has made that connection.