Nightingale 0 #1 October 14, 2004 Las Vegas Voter Registrations Possibly Trashed Author: KLAS-TV8 Source: klas-tv.com (NV) Title: VOTER REGISTRATIONS POSSIBLY TRASHED Employees of a private voter registration company allege that hundreds, perhaps thousands of voters who may think they are registered will be rudely surprised on election day. The company claims hundreds of registration forms were thrown in the trash. Anyone who has recently registered or re-registered to vote outside a mall or grocery store or even government building may be affected. The I-Team has obtained information about an alleged widespread pattern of potential registration fraud aimed at democrats. Thee focus of the story is a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America, AKA America Votes. Two former workers say they personally witnessed company supervisors rip up and trash registration forms signed by Democrats. Call the Clark County Election Department at 455-VOTE or go to www.accessclarkcounty.com/election/lookup.asp to verify if you are registered. (Oct. 13) -- Federal, state, and local officials are gathering information about allegations of voter registration fraud that were first raised Channel 8 Eyewitness News. An employee of a private voter registration firm alleges that his bosses trashed registration forms filled out by Democratic voters because they only wanted to sign up Republican voters. The allegations have set off a political firestorm stretching from Las Vegas to Washington D.C., and beyond. As with everything else in this election year, it's now become a political football being tossed between the two parties, with charges and countercharges, but at its core, there still remains the matter of registration forms that were ripped up and tossed in the trash. Who did it, and why? That's what official agencies will try to determine. On Tuesday afternoon, Las Vegan Eric Russell and his girlfriend took a packet of documents to the Las Vegas FBI office but left before filing a formal complaint about what Russell says was a deliberate effort to disenfranchise local voters. Russell worked for a company called Voters Outreach of America, along with 300 other people. He says he got into a beef with the company over a pay dispute, and witnessed his bosses ripping up registration forms that had been filed by democrats. "They were thrown away in the trash. I grabbed them out," said Eric Russell. One of those forms belonged to Daren Gray, who was shocked to learn that the re-registration form he filled out was never turned in. "I'm pretty mad, upset. I'm still gonna vote," said Daren Gray. Russell doesn't know how many democratic registrations were tossed in the trash but guesses the number could be very high since Voters Outreach of America operated in Las Vegas for more than two months. The FBI confirms that it is gathering information about the case but stopped short of calling it an investigation, saying it wants to talk to Russell again. Secretary of State Dean Heller issued a statement that his office is also taking a look, trying to figure out what if any laws might have been violated. Nevada Democrats came out swinging Wednesday. "Most disturbing is that Voter Outreach of America is being paid by the National Republican Party and we ask how can people have faith in government if a national party is involved in trickery in depriving people the right to vote," said Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates. The Republican National Committee acknowledges that it hired Voters Outreach of America to register voters, but in a statement said it had zero tolerance for any kind of fraud. Local party officials said there is no way the GOP would instruct the company to trash democratic registrations. However, similar problems have been alleged elsewhere. In Washoe County, the registrar says he too has turned over information to the FBI about Republican backed registration efforts. In Oregon, the same company that was operating here has been criticized for its tactics in signing up voters. There, it used the name America Votes, which is actually the name of a Democratic organization. Employees in Las Vegas say they too were told that the name of the company was America Votes. "They confused us with the name. They told us one thing and told the temp force something else. They told us America Votes," Russell said. So, why has this company used the name of a Democratic organization as it signs up voters here and in Oregon? It's a question Eyewitness News is investigating. In the meantime, Eric Russell is about to learn what it's like to stir the pot. He has already been attacked in other media accounts as a disgruntled employee who was fired and displayed a violent temper. Russell was a disgruntled employee. He admits that if he had been paid, he probably wouldn't have talked. Even so, discrediting him doesn't explain the existence of the trashed registration forms. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #2 October 14, 2004 More: Bradbury Plans To Investigate Election Complaint (Oregon) Author: Rukmini Callimachi, The Associated Press Source: Oregon Live (OR) Title: BRADBURY PLANS TO INVESTIGATE ELECTION COMPLAINT [Oregon] Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and Attorney General Hardy Myers plan to investigate allegations that a paid canvasser might have destroyed voter registration forms. "There have been allegations made that someone threw out some voter registration forms that had been submitted to them," Bradbury told The Associated Press late Tuesday. "This is a violation of the law and I will meet with the attorney general in the morning to talk about what we can do to pursue this, and to make sure it doesn't happen again." Bradbury learned of the conduct from KGW-TV, which interviewed Mike Johnson, 20, a canvasser who said he was instructed to only accept Republican registration forms. He told the TV reporter that he "might" destroy forms turned in by Democrats. www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1097647496301300.xml&storylist=orlocal More: I-Team Investigation Uncovers Voter Registration Fraud (Colorado) Author: Deborah Sherman Source: 9news.com (CO) Title: I-TEAM INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD With just 21 days left until an election in which every vote will count, the 9News I-Team has uncovered voter registration fraud that could cause chaos on Election Day for hundreds, possibly thousands of Colorado voters. 9News has discovered a record number of fraudulent voter-registrations across the state. Secretary of State Donetta Davidson tells 9News she is concerned about what the I-Team has uncovered and wants those responsible prosecuted. "It has just gone rampant," she told reporter Deborah Sherman in an interview Monday afternoon. Most of the fraud has come from registration drives, where people at grocery stores or on the streets ask you to sign up. 9News has learned many workers have re-registered voters multiple times by changing or making up information about them. http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=8ac173fd-0abe-421a-011e-5ce7dfcf561e&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #3 October 15, 2004 Two questions: - Did you post this to show how mean and bad those people who are associated with the Republican party are? and - Do you think that this kind of thing has been done, around the country, only by Republican-types? -Jeffrey-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narcimund 0 #4 October 15, 2004 After all, if it isn't a partisan attack, it doesn't exist. First Class Citizen Twice Over Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #5 October 15, 2004 No... I posted it so people in affected areas can call and check their voter status and know if they have to re-register. I don't know who's doing it, nor do I care. I just don't want to see ANYONE, conservative or liberal, not be able to vote when they took the time to register. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,116 #6 October 15, 2004 >I posted it so people in affected areas can call and check their >voter status and know if they have to re-register. Yeah, someone from the San Diego clerk's office made an announcement this morning for people to check to make sure they're registered. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
