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

[fedupinwaukegan]

We went to the court house today to early vote. Saw a channel 7 reporter interviewing someone. When we got home discovered what that was all about...

Willander said that they are finding a large amount of fraudulent mail in registrations. They showed what was written on some of the cards; is a dog, is dead, is a goldfish, not eligible to vote as not a US citizen.

They mentioned that this could affect local races. I don't have to paint a picture -imagine how this could affect the Waukegan mayoral race. On WKRS recently a caller mentioned he was at one of the voter registration drives and heard a number of people register who said they'd just moved from Chicago.

Very un-nerving that goldfish and non-citizens will be voting for our future. hock:

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This is not a direct link. Go to the top box and I believe it is story 4. When I see an article I'll post it here.

[fedupinwaukegan]

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Possible voter registration fraud problems
Friday, October 17, 2008 | 6:45 PM
By Stacey Baca

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Questions have come up about possible vote fraud in Lake County, Illinois.

Local authorities say they have discovered discrepancies in hundreds of motor voter registrations. They say, in one case, someone registered a dog to vote.

"Campaigns and candidates need to realize that things can be wrong. We can't say with assurance that all the people in our voter rolls are valid residents at the address where they are registered," said Lake County Clerk Willard Helander.

Helander wants to get on the record before Election Day. She says there has been an unprecedented number of problems with the mail-in voter registration cards. The clerk also says registering by mail is based on an honors system, a system that has been breached in Lake County.

"I believe we're seeing the full blossom of this potential showing itself. There has been misappropriation, but this level is shocking," Helander said.

The clerk says she has seen various problems. For example, deceased voters have been revived. Residents who are not even eligible to vote have received cards. On one card, a person wrote, "cannot vote - not a US citizen." Another card had a voter named Princess. It turns out, 'Princess' is not only dead, but Princess was a goldfish. When asked about race or ethnic group, another person wrote canine. And these are the cards that were caught. The clerk is worried about the ones that weren't.

"I'm concerned because we don't how many people have come to register who don't live in at an address and they have a good address in Lake County, but we don't know if they live there or not and we mailed them a card," said the clerk.

In the meantime, workers are swamped dealing with all the voter issues. There are nearly 389,000 voters in Lake County, and since Monday, 16,000 of them have decided to vote early.

"That's what I'm doing today. So it's my way of avoiding a lot of confusion and hectic times ahead over the next few days," said Steve Shockley, early voter.

[fedupinwaukegan]

County investigates voter registration fraud
Forms listed dead people, pets
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Comments


October 18, 2008
By JIM NEWTON <!-- e --><a href="mailto:jnewton@scn1.com">jnewton@scn1.com</a><!-- e -->

Pointing to more than 1,000 "compromised" registration forms received by her office, County Clerk Willard Helander called Friday for voter registration reform to protect the integrity of elections.

Meanwhile, the Lake County State's Attorney's Office and the Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed the initiation of a joint investigation into the registration forms, which include non-existent addresses, dead people and even pets.
» Click to enlarge image
On this voter registration application, the applicant was dead -- and a goldfish.

» Click to enlarge image
Lake County Clerk Willard Helander talks about the bad voter registration applications received by her office.
(Michael Schmidt/News-Sun)

Helander said information on the registrations, all of which involved mail-in voter registration forms, has also been forwarded to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office, the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI.

Receipt of the false registrations is "unprecedented" in Lake County and could call into question the integrity of election results in extremely close races, Helander said.

"We are concerned," she said. "If you have a race that is decided by two or five or 10 votes, you're going to care greatly."

Officials indicated that more than 800 of the forms were turned into the clerk's office by a Chicago resident claiming to represent several community organizations in Lake County.

The registrations involved were primarily located in eastern areas of the county, Helander said, and concentrated in the 10th Congressional District where Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk faces Democratic challenger Dan Seals.

Standing in front of stacks of the registrations in question, Helander said they point to the need for tighter registration guidelines, and possibly the elimination of mail-in registration, which requires no photo identification or second-person verification.

"Even if we know this is fraud, the persons that did this may never be caught," Helander said. "This system has no safeguards."

Sheriff Mark Curran said the investigation has the potential to result in serious charges.

"Clearly there are forgery issues and what have you that are felonies and serious issues that are being investigated," Curran said. "At this point it's hard to say how far it's going to lead."

In addition to the registrations turned in by the individual, Helander said she is also very concerned about registrations that involved valid addresses but were not filled out by the residents of those homes.

Some residents who received mass-mailed registration forms with incorrect information such as the name of deceased people or pets brought those forms to the attention of the clerk's office.

Helander said anyone who has received suspicious registration materials should contact her office at (847) 377-2410.

Helander said some of the mass-mailed forms received locally with incorrect information were sent by a nationwide group, Women's Voices. Women Vote, a voter empowerment group for unmarried women.

[NorthsideKaren]

Sounds like the people who signed Link's petitions.... :twisted:

[Danno]

Sounds like the people who signed Link's petitions.... :twisted:

I'm hoping my two goldfish, Miss Minerva and Diver Dan, got registered too. Maybe they can get credit cards too and start paying their own way. I'm still hoping one day my dog will be offered a credit card. She'd be "doggy trash" irresponsible with it though and buy fillet mignon instead of Alpo and cashmir sweaters to lay on.

Seriously though, because I had seen these people registering voters at a few of the local grocery stores I was curious how they were registering so I went through the process. They did not ask if I was a legal resident and did not ask for identification of any kind to make sure I was who I said I was. My registration went through and now I'm registered twice.

[Blackdiamond]

Damn! Danno---I hope it wasn't Jewels. Can't they be reported? This is scary, but if this is originating out of Chicago, I'm not surprised. Those folks standing in the middle of the streets and at local stores soliciting, are all from Chicago. I don't give them anything.

[fedupinwaukegan]

Whoa danno....I hope you are calling Willander. I want her to investigate these neighborhood drives in Waukegan as well. Otherwise a certain guy could be our mayor. There is a number at the end of this article.


Election coverage: Elections results in Lake County could be comprised
Clerk: Voter application irregularities a cause for concern
By COLIN SELBO - <!-- e --><a href="mailto:cselbo@nwnewsgroup.com">cselbo@nwnewsgroup.com</a><!-- e -->
and STEPHANIE LEHMAN - <!-- e --><a href="mailtolehman@nwnewsgroup.com">slehman@nwnewsgroup.com</a><!-- e -->

WAUKEGAN - Lake County Clerk Willard Helander expressed concerns Oct. 17 with the high volume of irregularities in voter registration applications recently received by her office.

These improprieties could impact the results of local elections within the county, Helander said.

"The integrity of an election could well be compromised," Helander said. "In an election cycle where a Lake County candidate would win or lose by one or two votes, this is really scary."

The problem lies with a mail-in voter registration system that is "seriously flawed," Helander said, and lacks appropriate safeguards.

"Because [mail-in registration] has so many opportunities for misdeeds there are a number of people taking advantage of [the system,]" Helander said. "The mail-in form has been a source of compromising voter registration."

Helander said she has passed faulty applications onto the Lake County Sheriff's office as well as state and federal authorities for further investigation.

Todd Govain, supervisor of voter registration, said he began to notice in mid-August addresses on some applications did not exist in Lake County.

"They came in and I noticed, just looking at the addresses, that hmm, these addresses look funny," Govain said. "It was a lot of weird stuff going on with the records."

The clerk's office has currently documented 892 applications with faulty addresses, Helander said.

The clerk's office also found applications with multiple signatures that appeared to be signed by the same person and applications sent to deceased Lake County residents as well as applications for household pets.

Several local residents sent back faulty applications to the clerk's office. These returned applications are one of the only ways election officials were alerted to the problem, Helander said.

"Our system does not provide safeguards to protect the voters," Helander said. "[Voters] deserve to know the quality of voter registration efforts."

Helander called several surrounding counties to make them aware of the problems Lake County was experiencing. Many reported no such similar encounters, she said.

"We have not had any problems like that," said McHenry County Clerk, Katherine Schultz, who said she was contacted by Willard in September. "When I was talking to her, I was afraid we were going to see the same things."

But, Schultz said, McHenry County is significantly smaller than Lake County, and also further from Chicago - two factors she said might have played a role in the mail-in incongruities in Lake County.

Adam Fogel of FairVote, a non-partisan right-to-vote organization, said voter registration deadlines immediately prior to elections place additional burdens on counties throughout the country.

"The system itself just in terms voter registration is seriously flawed," Fogel said. "The problem nationally is that county clerks are underfunded, understaffed and overworked. That's something that's true in nearly every jurisdiction of the country."

Helander said concerns ultimately come down to ensuring that only voters who are legitimate and properly registered are casting ballots.

"We need to know that everyone who casts a vote is a bona-fide voter."

If residents believe they have received a ballot for a falsely registered voter, Helander said they should call the county clerk's office at 847-377-2410 or e-mail <!-- e --><a href="mailto:countyclerk@co.lake.il.us">countyclerk@co.lake.il.us</a><!-- e -->.

[fedupinwaukegan]

This is long but does share with those who are interested that awareness about voter fraud is really coming to light. Google Indiana, ACORN... ACORN is certainly active in these parts. Maybe the FBI will help Lake County as well.


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LBUQUERQUE — The Republican Party of New Mexico alleges 28 people voted fraudulently in one Albuquerque state House district in the June Democratic primary.

Party representatives said at a news conference Thursday they found the suspect voters in a review of 92 newly registered voters in House District 13.

"We really have a bombshell — evidence of voter fraud in the 2008 primary in Albuquerque," said State Rep. Justine Fox-Young, an Albuquerque Republican. "We are presenting undeniable proof that there was voter fraud in the June election."

But the head of an Albuquerque community organization that registers voters charges the Republicans' claims are overblown and they are trying to scare people ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

The Republicans released voter registration cards for 10 of the suspect voters, saying they showed missing or inaccurate Social Security numbers or birth dates.

In some cases, more than one voter was registered using the same Social Security number. In others, people who the Republicans said had no Social Security number on public record were registered.

State Republican Secretary Nazarena "Nina" Martinez said the party is "greatly concerned" by the lack of attention to this issue by District Attorney Kari Brandenburg and state Attorney General Gary King.

"As we speak, votes are being cast through absentee ballots. We do not have the luxury to wait until Nov. 4 — another 19 days — to resolve this matter," Martinez said. "This matter must be resolved now. It must be resolved today."

The party filed a Freedom of Information Act to review secretary of state and Bernalillo county clerk voting history records to conduct the review.

Brandenburg said the allegations are part of an ongoing investigation. FBI agents met last week with Bernalillo County clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver after she notified authorities about an estimated 1,500 possibly fraudulent voter registration cards.

"Every single case we get is handled the same way. We seek justice based on a thorough investigation and evidence," Brandenburg told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

A spokesman for King did not immediately return a call late Thursday seeking comment.

Pat Rogers, an attorney who advises the state GOP, says the party plans to turn the suspect registration cards over to King's and Brandenburg's offices.

Fox-Young said several of the suspect voters were registered by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, an advocacy group for low-income people that has come under fire in recent weeks for its voter registration practices.

On Thursday, the FBI announced a national investigation into whether ACORN has helped foster voter registration fraud. The organization also is being investigated for fraud in Nevada, Connecticut, Missouri and at least five other states. Election officials also have recently questioned the group's voter forms in Ohio and North Carolina.

ACORN has said it has registered 1.3 million young people, minorities and poor and working class voters nationwide — most of whom tend to be Democrats.

Matthew Henderson, head organizer for ACORN in the Southwest region, said virtually all of the 80,000 New Mexico voters they registered are legitimate.

The group flags suspected registration cards, tracks voter registration agents connected to each card and has fired 46 employees for fraudulent violations, he said.

He said the Republicans are trying to "whip up hysteria" before the election, just as they did in 2004.

"They're scared, they're desperate and they don't want to see more people participate in the election process," Henderson said.

Fox-Young said she believes ACORN is acting as a "quasi-criminal" organization.

Toulouse Oliver said she had not seen the state Republican Party's findings, but suggested the party should notify law enforcement to prevent future problems.

"This is the first I'm hearing of it," she said in an interview. "We're not law enforcement. We don't investigate. The best we can do is identify and red flag and sequester the documents and turn them over to law enforcement and we'll gladly do that."

Oliver said her office checks registrations as they come in. Cards raise red flags if they have the same name as a voter who's already registered, but carry a different birth date or Social Security number, or have addresses that don't exist.

Her office tries to contact the voter to see if a mistake can be corrected, but if that's not possible, the card goes into the questionable pile and is not added to the voter rolls.

Fox-Young said they targeted state House District 13 for review due to high activity by third-party groups and the large volume of new voter registrations there.

"Anybody in politics knew that third-party groups were interested in those races," Fox-Young said.

She said Republican registration cards and those for voters who declined to state a party also were reviewed, but the state GOP did not have the resources to present their findings for more voters.

"It was not specific toward political parties," she said, when asked why only Democratic voters were named as suspected fraud cases.

[iconoclast59]

I served as a voter registrar in the last election cycle, but I've been too busy with my "real" job to do anything this cycle. Anyway, it's the registrar's job to verify the voter's US citizenship and place of residence, and the registrar co-signs the registration application. Willard should have a list of all the voter registrars deputized through her office, though I believe she is legally obligated to process applications turned in by other registrars. For example, I'm deputized in Lake County, but I can register voters at my workplace in Cook County. IIRC, I would still send the form to Willard, who would then forward it to the proper county. Any applications that come in from anyone other than your deputized registrars should be doubly scrutinized as a matter of course.

Now...I don't want to trivialize this matter, but just because a bunch of bogus registrations came in, it doesn't necessarily follow that there will be massive fraud at the polls. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say that the person who filled out these registration applications was getting paid by the number, leading him/her to fabricate voters out of whole cloth. It's questionable whether each false registration will automatically result in a person showing up at the polls on Election Day claiming to be "Princess" or "Fido."

Also, my partisan spidey-sense is tingling on this one. In a year when we're looking at a possible electoral landslide for the Democratic candidate, NOW all of a sudden we have REPUBLICAN election officials oh-so-concerned about election fraud. Where were they 4 years ago when hundreds of urban Ohio voters were disenfranchised because of sparsely-distributed and broken-down voting machines? Where were they 8 years ago when we had the debacle in Florida? How come they're up in arms over someone registering a goldfish, but there's not a peep of outrage when someone is turned away at the polls because he's been mistakenly identified as a felon and purged from the rolls?

I hereby address this shout-out to Ms. Helander: HEY, WILLARD! I'm still a deputized registrar. If you want someone to help you sort through those applications and verify addresses, CALL ME. In other words, put up or shut up.

Oh, and another thing: I have a friend who early-voted at the Libertyville Township location, and there was *NO* ballot box judge, meaning that anyone who over/under-voted wasn't rightfully informed of their right to re-cast their ballot. Ahem, someone needs to make sure her own house is in order before casting aspersions on others. :twisted:

[fedupinwaukegan]

Now...I don't want to trivialize this matter, but just because a bunch of bogus registrations came in, it doesn't necessarily follow that there will be massive fraud at the polls. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say that the person who filled out these registration applications was getting paid by the number, leading him/her to fabricate voters out of whole cloth. It's questionable whether each false registration will automatically result in a person showing up at the polls on Election Day claiming to be "Princess" or "Fido."
:

Agreed, on the national level. But I've read in numerous articles about the concern at the local level where a 'handful' of votes can sway an election. Think about it, we've got 4 mayoral candidates. The votes will be spread thin as it is -so a handful could affect the bottom line. Who will lead Waukegan. hock:

At any rate this will be very interesting to follow to see how far it goes!

Hmmm....we have a couple of goldfish :ugeek: :lol: