Lake County: Massive mail in voting regist. fraud...

[iconoclast59]

I misspoke in my last post about over/under-votes going through with no ballot box judge. I remember now: the ballot box machine will reject the ballot with an over- or under-vote; I'm pretty sure* the judge has to press an override button for the machine to accept the ballot anyway. So, any voter whose ballot got spit out by the machine would likely ask one of the officials to come over and help.

Still, I have concerns. My friend said she was specifically instructed to place her ballot in ballot box "D," one of 4 on site. Would the machine have rejected her ballot if she put it in the wrong box? I don't know*.

Also, ballot box judges receive additional training (and pay) for the extra responsibilities they take on, particularly in regard to securing the ballot box(es) and delivering them to the county clerk's office. So, did any of the election officials at the L'ville Twp site have that training? My friend didn't see anyone specifically identified as a ballot box judge, but she admits that she didn't scrutinize the name tags too closely.

And yes, I have taken these concerns to the proper authorities.

(*In case you're wondering, in addition to serving as a voter registrar, I've also served as an election judge, albeit several years ago. I'm a little rusty on the specifics.)

[fedupinwaukegan]

Ms. Helander was on Libby Collins this morning. I thought it was absolutely amazing what she had to say. The parties involved in this massive fraud are some familiar groups. Sounds like there are many layers to go. Willard talked to someone in D.C. who mentioned that there may be an option to ask for ID's if certain issues are present. I really wouldn't mind that. Some callers called in with what they have witnessed as well. It's big...

If it's podcast, and I requested it , I'll put a link here.



Lake County clerk wants ID checks for some voters
Monday, October 20, 2008 | 1:54 PM
AP


WAUKEGAN, Ill. -- A Republican official in Lake County wants to require some voters to show IDs if voter registration problems are clustered in certain precincts.

Lake County Clerk Willard Helander on Monday said she's asked the state's attorney if that could be done legally. She says it would help ensure a fair election.

Helander last week called for an investigation of nearly 1,000 voter registrations, citing concerns with addresses and signatures on mail-in forms.

A spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says that office hasn't received Helander's request for an investigation.

Helander says she's still planning to send the AG's office her documentation. The Illinois State Board of Elections hasn't returned a call seeking comment.

[fedupinwaukegan]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.wkrspodcast.com/libby.html">http://www.wkrspodcast.com/libby.html</a><!-- m -->

Here is a link to the podcast when Willard Helander was on WKRS. I thought it was very interesting what she had to say.

-Why did they need bilingual registrars?

I'm still interesting about how this will affect our mayoral race.

Will there be a chance to check all of the neighborhood drives? We've heard on the radio about inconsistencies going on there. Someone even posted here about it. And yes, the news video did show one card that said; can't vote, not a US citizen. How would they determine that?

I guess I'm just especially concerned about one of the candidates becoming our mayor... hock:

[fedupinwaukegan]

State GOP files voter fraud suit
Recommend
Comments

October 28, 2008
NEWS-SUN STAFF REPORT

A lawsuit seeking additional protections against voter fraud in Tuesday’s general election is being filed today in Lake County Circuit Court, according to the Republican Party of Illinois.

The move comes in response to a large number of voter registration irregularities discovered in Eastern Lake County that are being investigated as potential fraud.

Republican Party Spokesman Lance Trover said the lawsuit will seek to have suspect registrations specially coded, and will ask for a judge’s order that first-time registered voters be required to show a photo identification at polling places or vote provisionally if no such identification is available.

The move comes in response to an announcement by County Clerk Willard Helander earlier this month that her office had received more than 1,000 "compromised" voter registration forms, including some listing non-existent addresses, dead people and even pets.

The Lake County State's Attorney's Office and the Lake County Sheriff's Office have confirmed the initiation of a joint investigation into the issue. Officials indicated that more than 800 of the forms were turned into the clerk's office by a Chicago resident claiming to represent several local community organizations, including Citizens Action Illinois, which partnered with the YWCA of Lake County for a voter registration drive.

[fedupinwaukegan]

Suit targets suspected voter registration fraud
Recommend
Comments

October 29, 2008
By JUDY MASTERSON <!-- e --><a href="mailto:JMASTERSON@scn1.com">JMASTERSON@scn1.com</a><!-- e -->

Lake County and state Republican officials have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent 5,000 newly registered voters from casting regular ballots.

Charging that as many as 1,000 of the registrations allegedly provided by Citizen Action/Ilinois have been found to be fraudulent, Republican Party officials are asking the court to give the county clerk permission to require all Lake County voters registered by the group to cast provisional ballots "while the integrity of those registrations can be verified."

» Click to enlarge image
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna speaks about voter fraud at the Lake County Republican Party headquarters in Libertyville.
(Thomas Delany, Jr./News-Sun)

RELATED STORIES
• Special section: Decision 2008

Provisional ballots are counted only after registration is verified.

Lake County Republican Party Chairman Dan Venturi cited a history of close races in the county and said fraudulent registrants could "tip the balance."

"We need to keep voter confidence," said Venturi, who cited recent problems with fraudulent signatures on the nominating petitions of state Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan. "We want to restore the integrity of the electoral process."

Link, who is also chairman of the Lake County Democratic Party, did not return a call seeking comment.

Alleged irregularities reported last week by Lake County Clerk Willard Helander and now under investigation by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, include fictitious names, incorrect addresses and multiple forms filled out in identical handwriting.

The suspicious registrations included one for "Princess Nudelman the fish."

In a Tuesday press conference at Republican Party headquarters in Libertyville, party officials blasted a registration application for Cordale Handy, a Waukegan man awaiting trial in Lake County Jail on a charge of vehicular hijacking.

While those charged with criminal offenses may still register and vote -- in Illinois, only those incarcerated under sentence lose the right to vote -- Handy who was last arrested in June, listed his address in September as the 2700 block of Lydia. County Clerk Helander did not return a call inquiring if jail inmates must list the jail as their address on voter registration applications.

Illinois Republican Party general counsel Brien Sheahan said the 850 "completely fraudulent" registrations raises concerns about the rest of the applications turned in by Citizen Action.

Citizen Action/Illinois issued a statement on the matter, saying that no official from the Lake County Election Board made contact "to verify relationships between particular voter registrars and Citizen Action/Illinois.

"We do not know what system Lake County uses to link voter registration efforts to a particular organization," said Lynda DeLaforgue, Citizen Action director, who said the group registered approximately 600 people in Lake County this year.

DeLaforgue said registration applications go through a "rigorous quality control operation" and are turned in through the Chicago City Board of Elections.

Sheahan said if one in five applications are bad, "it's our view that all are tainted.

"The real threat comes from not knowing if illegal votes are swaying elections," he said.

Republicans hope for a ruling "within the next 24 hours," Sheahan said.

"The purpose is to get every legal vote counted," said Andy McKenna, chairman of the Illinois Republican Committee.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/1246908,5_1_WA29_REPFRAUD_S1.article">http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... S1.article</a><!-- m -->

[Danno]

Something fishy found on Chicago's electoral register


Among those whose name appears on the electoral register in Chicago is Princess Nudelman.

Princess is a fish. A dead fish as it happens . . .

Beth Nudelman, who owned the fish, said Princess may have landed on a mailing list because the family once filled in the pet's name when they got a second phone line for a computer.

"There was no fraud involved," said Ms Nudelman, a Barack Obama supporter. "This person is a dead fish."

But Lake County clerk Willard Helander, a Republican, was having none of it. "I am just stunned at the level of people compromising the integrity of the voting process," he said.

The paperwork sent to Princess Nudelman probably came from Women's Voices, Women Vote, which sent almost one million mailings to Illinois households in August using a list that mistakenly included some pets, according to Sarah Johnson, a spokeswoman for the not-for-profit group.

The mailing list, purchased from a vendor, included names from warranties, magazine subscriptions and other sources, but the group attempted to screen out obvious pet names.

"Fido's not going to be left on there, but if a cat is named is Polly, she may be," Ms Johnson said.

Princess could be a person's name, she insisted. "I went to high school with two Princesses."

***

Cash-strapped Irish property magnates and bankers seeking to offload any surplus- to-requirement helicopters may have a customer in Ashley Parsons (20), a new homeowner from Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England.

Having just snapped up an old watertower to convert into a house, Mr Parsons discovered he could only reach it by air.

The medieval-style 46m (150ft) tower was bought for a bargain £33,000 (€42,000). However, the firm that owns the surrounding land is refusing to give him access rights, so he cannot reach it on foot or by car.

"The only way I can access my home legally would be by jumping from a helicopter on to the roof. The nearest public road is 30m away, but even though there is a connecting path I'm not legally allowed on it," said Mr Parsons.

"It's a pathetic decision but they won't stop me. I'm not going to walk away quietly."

***

Mr Parsons has presumably cursed his bad fortune. Lucky he's not in Scranton, Pennsylvania. There, a woman who was arrested and prosecuted for swearing at her toilet has won almost £12,000 (€15,000) in compensation.

Dawn Herb was arrested last year after a neighbour, an off-duty police officer, heard her swearing at her overflowing lavatory through an open window. She was charged with disorderly conduct and faced a possible 90 days in jail.

But the judge at her trial found her not guilty, saying swearing was not illegal and her language was constitutionally protected free speech.

"It's clear the city was wrong," Ms Herb said. "However, I'm glad that I was able to fight for my rights. In the end, I found justice." Scranton mayor Chris Doherty voiced polite dissatisfaction at the verdict.

***

Elsewhere in the US, however, the law runs its course.

An 89-year-old woman has been arrested in Cincinnati for refusing to return a ball to a child who had kicked it into her garden.

Police Capt James Schaffer said Enda Jester was warned twice to return the ball.

"I said go ahead and handcuff me," said Ms Jester.

The police obliged, and she will appear in court next month.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/1024/1224715115917.html">http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opi ... 15917.html</a><!-- m -->

[Danno]

Princess Nudelman even made Saturday Night Live.
Here is the clip. It's about 2/3 of the way through the video.
I'm a little miffed. I thought my goldfish, Miss Minerva and Diver Dan, had the most awsome goldfish names.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/update-freds-mapfix-it/784121/">http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/ ... it/784121/</a><!-- m -->

[fedupinwaukegan]

Vote fraud suit moved to federal court
Case likely won't be heard before Nov. 4
Recommend
Comments

October 30, 2008
By JUDY MASTERSON <!-- e --><a href="mailto:JMASTERSON@SCN1.COM">JMASTERSON@SCN1.COM</a><!-- e -->

A lawsuit asking for an injunction ordering 5,000 newly registered voters in Lake County to cast provisional ballots in Tuesday's election has hit a wall.

The suit, which was filed by Republican Party state and county officials Tuesday and alleges registrations turned in by Citizen Action/Illinois are "fraudulent, incomplete or illegitimate" was moved to federal court following a Lake County Circuit Court hearing Wednesday.
» Click to enlarge image
Venturi

» Click to enlarge image
Link

Republicans are hoping a U.S. District Court judge in Chicago decides jurisdiction this week and sends it back to Lake County.

Lake County Republican Committee Chair Dan Venturi of Lake Villa called the motion to transfer the case by Citizen Action attorney Michael Kasper "a delay tactic."

"It could and should have been resolved today," said Venturi, who added the case will likely be delayed until after the election. "If these ballots aren't flagged, these people are going to vote."

Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, who doubles as Lake County Democratic Committee chairman, called the suit "a desperate reach," and "a tactic" being used by Republicans nationwide in an effort to stymie an avalanche of new young and minority voters who they fear will vote Democratic.

In Lake County, approximately 28,000 new voters have been added to the rolls.

"They're trying to suppress the vote, especially in North Chicago and Waukegan, in African-American areas," Link said. "You don't see them challenging people in Lake Forest or Barrington. If there are illegal registrations, the clerk should find them. If she can't, she should hire more people."

Alleged irregularities on 1,000 voter registration applications reported last week by Helander and now under investigation by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, include fictitious names -- one for "Princess Nudelman the fish" -- bad addresses and multiple forms filled out in identical handwriting. Democrats reason that if 1,000 of the 5,000 registrations allegedly turned in by Citizen Action registrars -- the group says it only registered 600 people in Lake County -- are illegitimate, the majority of them could be.

Link and attorneys for Lake County Democrats argue current law offers plenty of safeguards against voter fraud.

"Any problem voter registrations are either stopped by her (Helander) or put in the system and flagged and those voters are asked to show an ID," said attorney Michael Kreloff. "We believe the system is working. No fish is going to show up to vote."

Another attorney, Matthew Flamm, cited a study that found only 24 people in the U.S. were convicted of voter fraud between 2002 and 2005.