[Mb-civic] NYTimes.com Article: Allegations of Electoral Crimes

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Allegations of Electoral Crimes

October 18, 2004
 


 

Reports out of Nevada and Oregon indicate that a company
paid to register voters for the Republican Party may have
systematically destroyed registration forms filled out by
Democrats. If so, thousands of voters who made a good-faith
effort to register may not find themselves on the rolls on
Nov. 2. Intentionally destroying voter registration forms
is a crime against the heart of democracy. The allegations
should be vigorously investigated. The immediate concern is
ensuring that criminal actions by partisans do not
disenfranchise any eligible voters. 

A former employee of Voters Outreach of America has come
forward to say that he saw the company, which was being
paid by the Republican National Committee, destroy
Democrats' registration forms in Nevada, while it was
handing in forms filled out by Republicans. 

The Oregon attorney general's office has opened its own
criminal investigation into allegations that Voters
Outreach may have destroyed voter registrations there. A
public library system in Oregon has said that it barred the
firm from library property after finding that it had
misrepresented itself as being nonpartisan. 

Nathan Sproul, a Republican political operative who heads
the consulting company that hired Voters Outreach,
attributed the reports of destroyed registration forms to a
disgruntled former employee. He said the firm had a
"misunderstanding" with the Oregon public library. 

Destroying voter registration forms is not merely an ugly
political trick; it can be a felony. The Department of
Justice, and the states of Nevada and Oregon, should
quickly and thoroughly investigate these allegations, and
look into any registration work being done by Voters
Outreach and Mr. Sproul in other states. The charges should
be pursued wherever they lead. Since the Republican Party
was paying the bills, questions should be asked about what
instructions it gave for its registration drives, and what
it knew about the alleged malfeasance. 

It is vital that no eligible voters be denied a ballot
because their registrations were destroyed. The Nevada
Democratic Party has, quite reasonably, sued to extend the
voter registration deadline. If the Nevada and Oregon
registration deadlines are not extended, those states
should announce that they will accept late registrations
from any eligible voters who submit affidavits saying they
filed registration forms with Voters Outreach canvassers. 

No matter what, voters should show up to vote. If they are
not on the rolls, they should insist on their right to a
provisional ballot. If the election turns out to be as
close as polls suggest in both states, people who voted
provisionally will have a chance after Nov. 2 to insist
that their votes be counted. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/18/opinion/18mon2.html?ex=1099113835&ei=1&en=413b9c137c0aed2d


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