Dammit. A whole *new* kind of vote fraud

WilliamPitt

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Mon Aug-09-04 11:55 PM
Original message

Dammit. A whole *new* kind of vote fraud

This happened in Kansas City. Received via email:

==

I want to warn you about a new kind of voter fraud we just learned about
the hard way yesterday. Most of you know my son Joseph. When my family
went to the polls to vote, Ben and I were able to, but Joseph, who had
been on the rolls and voted in the last election, was unable to because
his name did not appear on the voter registration rolls for our
precinct. At the time this happened, only about 5 or 6 people came and
went in the polling place (midday), but one other man, a regular all the
poll workers recognized, also found he was off the rolls. He left before
we finished trying to clear it up and before we could offer him a ride
downtown to the Election Commission, where we went next (and spent much
of the hottest afternoon this year). We never saw him down there and
figure he probably didn't go because of work or transportation. Or maybe
just the hassle.

We assumed it was just some computer glitch. At 18th & Walnut, they were
swamped, but we waited. It turned out that Joseph had been reregistered
by someone who had his birth date and the last four digits of his SS# at
a new address in another precinct. 5420 Locust, to be exact. (We live at
1115 E. 76th St.) Joseph was concerned about identity theft, naturally,
but the director of elections, who had had to take his case, assured him
that it was simple voter fraud. She was seeing a lot of it. She said an
organization had paid someone to reregister him. When he asked how they
could have his personal information, she said it was because
organizations could and did buy the rolls and that info was on them.
(Incidentally, this is no criticism of the Election Commission. They
handled it as well as they could under the circumstances.)

This is a nearly flawless scheme of voter fraud. No one is thrown off
the rolls, so no red flags in the system go up. But when you're moved to
another precinct on the rolls without your knowledge, the only way you
can vote is to go down to the central office and wait to have it taken
care of individually. People move and reregister every day, and
legitimate organizations like Rock the Vote often send in bundles of
registrations from events. You can't even learn the true extent of it
since many voters can't take the time from work or haven't the
transportation to go downtown and spend hours straightening out so they
can vote. And without them doing that, it looks just like a legitimate
change-of-address.

We don't think it's any coincidence that we live in a predominantly
African American, overwhelmingly Democratic precinct. Last night at an
event at the Kerry headquarters in town, I spoke with an African
American woman who had three friends at work all suddenly gone from the
rolls of their normal polling place. All live in different mostly black,
strongly Democratic precincts. None of them went downtown. All had to go
on to work. Look at November and see what we're facing.

Joseph has given the state Kerry campaign a written statement about
this. After he posted it on his live journal to encourage his friends to
check their registration before November or vote absentee, a reporter
from the Pitch interviewed him by phone and a representative of the
Western Missouri ACLU asked him to send a statement to them, which he's
doing. I think we need to get the word out about this as widely as
possible and encourage people to check their voter registration address
before the elections or vote ahead of time by absentee ballot (where the
discrepancy will show up before the election and can be fixed).

You all know how critical this election is. Please pass this information
on to everyone you can, and take any opportunity you have to publicize
it so people will know about it and protect their right to vote.