ACORN’s Abuse Pattern

“Obama.  Yes We Can”
Image courtesy of http://www.rubyblooms.com/p/Vote-early,-vote-often/l-3132245.

If ever there was a question about ACORN’s voter registrations creating an aura of suspicion of abuse, that has been settled by the non-profit, non-partisan group dedicated to protecting consumer choice and investigates issues on behalf of consumers. 

A recent House Administration Subcommittee hearing with the Consumer Rights League (CRL) in Washington, raised some very serious issues regarding ACORN’s pattern of voter registration fraud.  Keep in mind that CRL’s agenda is advocacy on behalf of all consumers. ACORN is the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.  ACORN has a well known long term association with Senator Barack Obama, from his days of leadership training its militant, intimidating, community organizing members, to defending ACORN in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois.

Here is what the CRL found.

Joint Hearing on “Federal, State and Local efforts to Prepare for the General 2008 Election.”  September 24, 2008.

To be sure, there are some well-meaning individuals who are a part of ACORN. Unfortunately, they do not appear to be the ones in control.

An August 20 report from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted that of the 35 ACORN employees referred for investigation at the time:

• Seventeen apparently filled out voter applications and then signed the cards themselves. That involved two to four cards in each case.
• Twelve submitted cards for individuals who later told ACORN they never filled out an application. That involved one card in each case.
• One submitted a card for a dead voter. That was the second such case; a Voters Project worker previously submitted a card for a deceased voter.
• One was apparently making up driver’s license numbers for an unknown number of voters.
• One submitted about a half-dozen applications for already-registered voters.

One woman reportedly complained that a voter registration card was submitted for her husband, who had been dead for 10 years.

In Michigan, elections officials across the state have been noticing a high volume of problems associated with ACORN’s work. A Secretary of State spokesperson recently said “There appears to be a sizeable number of duplicate and fraudulent applications … And it appears to be widespread.” In Pontiac, the clerk’s office has found numerous applications filed for a given name. In Oak Park, the clerk has been seeing “lots of duplication” from ACORN in recent months.

Even in the course of preparing this testimony, officials in yet another state announced an investigation into potentially fraudulent activity. Durham County, North Carolina’s elections officials have asked for an investigation of dozens of cards submitted by ACORN. One was for a fourteen-year-old boy.

Conclusion: Local, State, and Federal Investigations Needed To Watch ACORN’s Pattern of Fraud

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.”

Wow.

When a consumer advocacy organization’s findings land on at a U.S. House subcommittee, there must be sufficient concern to raise the issue, particularly before a presidential election.  Especially when one of the nominee’s political history and support has been so closely aligned with the organization found to engage in systematic voter registration abuse pattern.

“Election of the ethically dead.  And he though he could change D.C.”
Image courtesy of http://bobmccarty.com/2008/05/07/obama-thought-he-could-change-dc/.

See:

• http://overthehilloracles.wordpress.com/2008/10/05/obama-socializing-america-one-idiot-at-a-time/.  Obama: Socializing America — one “idiot” at a time.  October 5, 2008.
• http://www.consumersrightsleague.org/.  Consumer Rights League.
• http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/crl-testimony-acorns-voter-fraud/story.aspx?guid=%7B573B31D0-6AB7-4353-B8E7-91300F4DFF81%7D&dist=hppr.  CRL Testimony on ACORN’s Voter Fraud.  September 25, 2008.
• http://www.consumersrightsleague.org/uploadedfiles/JamesTerryACORN9-24.pdf.  Ensuring the Integrity of the U.S. Electoral System By James Terry Chief Public Advocate Consumers Rights League .  September 24, 2008.
• http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=307667123149723.  ACORN’s Senator.  Seotember 30, 2008.
• http://quipster.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/obama-supported-acorn-freddie-and-fannies-house-of-intimidation/.