Voters say they were duped into registering as Republicans

[Liberal_in_LA]

Voters say they were duped into registering as Republicans

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fraud18-2008oct18,0,1216330.story

YPM, a group hired by the GOP, allegedly deceived Californians who thought they were signing a petition. YPM denies any wrongdoing. Similar accusations have been leveled against the company elsewhere.

By Evan Halper and Michael Rothfeld, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

October 18, 2008

SACRAMENTO -- Dozens of newly minted Republican voters say they were duped into joining the party by a GOP contractor with a trail of fraud complaints stretching across the country.

Voters contacted by The Times said they were tricked into switching parties while signing what they believed were petitions for tougher penalties against child molesters. Some said they were told that they had to become Republicans to sign the petition, contrary to California initiative law. Others had no idea their registration was being changed.

"I am not a Republican," insisted Karen Ashcraft, 47, a pet-clinic manager and former Democrat from Ventura who said she was duped by a signature gatherer into joining the GOP. "I certainly . . . won't sign anything in front of a grocery store ever again."

It is a bait-and-switch scheme familiar to election experts. The firm hired by the California Republican Party -- a small company called Young Political Majors, or YPM, which operates in several states -- has been accused of using the tactic across the country.

[Left Is Write]

1. They can still vote Democratic in the general election.

[justiceischeap]

2. Now see, THAT'S voter registration fraud (eom)

[99th_Monkey]

3. In Oregon, in run-up to 04 election, there was a similar GOP group registering people to vote

and they systematically shredded ALL Democratic registrants and only turned in the Republican reg. forms,
so the people that signed up as Dems thought they were registered but weren't, because the election
officials never saw their reg. form. This was reported in the local major newspaper (The Oregonian),
which by the way is Republican.

They committed felony election fraud I believe, but as far as I know they were never prosecuted.