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As the following piece shows, opponents to the voter identification for all at the polling place won't admit that
there is indeed voter fraud in voter registration .
Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania legislature has passed a bill (HB 1318) that would make the state's election system worse, not better. The bill would require voters to produce identification
in order to vote, despite the absence of any evidence of voters attempting to be someone they're not. Governor
Rendell has, quite wisely, said he'll veto the bill. The AP has this story, and Governor Rendell's letter is here. Governor Rendell's letter explains his reasons for the veto, noting the recent decision on Georgia's ID bill...: Governor
Rendell is right on target....
More continued
Tokaji applauds Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell for a veto of recent legislation which would have applied the same law
currently applied to First Time Voters to all Pennsylvania voters
While the Diven case involves nominating petitions, the problem is that the name of the deceased persons whose names
appeared on the state nominating petitions remain on the county's voter registration rolls.
First and foremost, the voter registration rolls in all counties in Pennsylvania need to be purged of names of deceased
voters, and names of those who have moved out of state.
The SURE database was supposed to minimize many registration problems like the above. Obviously, a problem remains
with implementing SURE.
A voter identification system in the state would go a long way to ensure valid voters are registered, and the database
could be updated accordingly. (Citizen Mom)
common Cause of Pennsylvania opposes PA Voter ID
That is something to know in light of Common Cause is among organizations that support a PA Constitutional Convention.
In a blog post entitled "RightMarch fabricates fraud charges" Democrats.com displays the charges included in a long listing
presented by RightMarch.com.
Among the charges:
Ohio's voter-registration rolls contain more than 120,000 duplicate names, and an untold number of ineligible voters,
such as people who have moved out of the state. A review of the rolls by the Columbus Dispatch even found a murder victim
and two suspected terrorists among the "eligible voters"!
Ohio's voter-registration rolls contain more than 120,000 duplicate names
Washington Times Donald Lambro
October 28, 2004
There seem to be more instances of skullduggery this time in the wake of a huge increase in voter registration. Ohio's
registration rolls are said to have 120,000 duplicate names, including a murder victim and a couple of suspected terrorists.
In Ohio's Franklin County, there are more registered voters than there are voter-eligible residents,
according to the U.S. census figures. There are 20 counties in Colorado that similarly appear to have more voters than people
qualified to vote. Thousands of Florida voters are also registered to vote in another state.
Aired October 26, 2004 Anderson Cooper 360 cites Washington Post
COOPER: ... take a look at what's brewing right now in Ohio.
According to "The Washington Post," Ohio's
voter registration rolls contain more than 120,000 duplicate names, and review of these rolls reportedly found a murder victim
and two suspected terrorists among the eligible.
Republicans have already filed 35,000 challenges to voters'
eligibility in Ohio, and at least one lawsuit has been about the weight of the paper that voters used to register.
VotePA opposed to PA Voter identification bill...
Candidates dropping out before challenges are even heard in a court of law. Allegations of forgery using registered
names of college students, deceased persons, and more. We're waiting for Fido and FeeFee...
But groups remained opposed to a voter ID for all voters in PA and the nation. Why?
Illegal Immigrants and voting fraud rampant in western states and spreading in areas with lax driver's license law requirements,
double voting in New York, Baker/Carter Commission Election Report Urges Photo IDs, Paper Trails And Impartial Oversight yet,
organizations, Governor Rendell, Acorn, ACLU, and others what don't get it... even one vote using a fake id, or someone else's
name diminishes the vote of everyone else...
Election Report Urges Photo IDs, Paper Trails And Impartial Oversight
By Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, September 19, 2005; Page A03
Warning that public confidence in the nation's election system is flagging, a commission headed by former president
Jimmy Carter and former secretary of state James A. Baker III today will call for significant changes in how Americans vote,
including photo IDs for all voters, verifiable paper trails for electronic voting machines and impartial administration of
elections.
The report concludes that, despite changes required under the Help America Vote Act of 2002, far more must be done
to restore integrity to an election system that suffers from sloppy management, treats voters differently not only from state
to state but also within states, and that too often frustrates rather than encourages voters' efforts to participate in what
is considered a basic American right...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091801364.html
By Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, September 19, 2005; Page A03
Excerpt:
The most controversial recommendation calls for all voters to produce a standard photo identification card before being
allowed to vote. The commission proposes that, by 2010, voters be required to use either the Real ID card, which Congress
this spring mandated as the driver's license of the future in all states. For about 12 percent of eligible voters who do not
have a driver's license, the commission says states should provide at no cost an identification card that contains the same
key information.
Critics of voter ID cards say the requirement could raise privacy issues and intimidate or discourage some Americans,
particularly the elderly, the poor and minorities, from participating in elections. To alleviate those concerns, the
Carter-Baker commission urges states to make it easy for non-drivers to obtain such cards and seeks measures to ensure privacy
and security for all voters. The commission report states that by adopting a uniform voter ID card, minorities would be better
protected from shifting identification standards at individual polling places...
Excerpt
Approximately 9 million Americans move from one state to another in any given year. The commission cited news reports
asserting that almost 46,000 voters from New York City were also registered in Florida. The panel recommended that
the U.S. Election Assistance Commission oversee a system to allow easy sharing of state voter databases as well as requiring
the use of a uniform identifier -- the voter's Social Security number -- to help eliminate duplicate registrations...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/18/AR2005091801364.html
Governor Ed Rendell excerpt why he vetoed voter ID
Others have suggested that this voter identification provision is needed to reduce the instances of voter
fraud in Pennsylvania. However, I have not seen any evidence of widespread voter impersonation in Pennsylvania that
would justify imposing this additional burden on voters. Elizabeth Milner, the Chair of the Pennsylvania League of Women
Voters, agrees. In her letter urging a veto, Ms. Milner says, “Show us the fraud. Proponents of
House Bill 1318 have failed to document a single instance in which the outcome of a Pennsylvania election was affected by
individuals posing as registered voters. Indeed, the National Commission on Election Reform found that there is no
evidence that the fraudulent acts the voter ID provision seeks to address exists anywhere in the United States.”
Proponents of House Bill 1318 have failed to document a single instance in which the outcome of a
Pennsylvania election was affected by individuals posing as registered voters.
Well Governor, we will never know whether the election was affected by individuals posing as registered voters
because names of deceased remain on voter registration rolls across Pennsylvania, and names of persons who have "moved" to
another state remain on the registration rolls, and even when such cases are found of double voting between Pennsylvania and
New York or Pennsylvania and Florida, it is difficult to prosecute.
Even when such "votes" are voided, the outcome of the election remains the status quo because officials don't
want to prosecute and make a spectacle of their little county.
Rendell cites the National Commission on Election Reform
Now wait a moment aren't these the same members who determined there is a need for uniform voter identification
requirements?
President Jimmy Carter
The Honorable James A. Baker, III
the Report Chapter 6 Verification of Identity
While the report notes the potential for a burden on poor and urban to suffer costs associated with obtaining
photo identification, such as a driver's license, which the report claims would be a deterrent, the report provides this solution:
the expense and trouble of obtaining a photo identification card could be a significant deterrent to their participation in
the electoral process, unless states were to issue official identification at state expense and on state initiative."
Carter, Baker discuss proposed election reforms
'Centrist consensus' includes photo IDs, paper receipts
By
MARK BIXLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/22/06
Former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III called for U.S. election reforms Wednesday
that include uniform photo identification cards and a paper trail on electronic voting machines.
As leaders of a bipartisan Commission on Federal Election Reform, Carter and Baker discussed some of the commission's
87 recommendations for Congress and state legislators at a forum that began late Wednesday morning at the Carter Center in
Atlanta.
Baker said the commission strove to reach a "centrist consensus" in favor of advocating entrenched partisan views.
The commission's most controversial recommendations called for photo IDs and paper receipts at electronic voting machines.
The IDs make sense, both men said, as long as state officials make aggressive efforts to find would-be voters who lack photo
IDs and provide them cards for free.
"We honestly believe you're going to see more registrations," Baker said. "You're going to see greater certainty as
to who is showing up at the polling place."
Baker made his remarks on videotape after a conflict prevented his attendance.
Commission members said 26 states require photo ID to vote, up from 11 just a few years ago. They said paper ballots,
or receipts, would remove doubt among voters worried about tech-savvy partisans tinkering with machines to manipulate the
outcome.
Portions to be broadcast
The commission presented its report several months ago. Wednesday's forum, organized in part by Court TV and National
Public Radio, was billed as the first public forum about the report. Portions will air on Court TV and public radio...
More... http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0322cartervoting.html
Guess Governor Rendell didn't speak to former President Jimmy Carter before the veto.
Response to the Report of the National Commission on Election Reform
Brennan Center for Justice, 9/19/2005
This document, responding to the report of the Baker-Carter Commission, will surely become the authoritative statement
on the flaws of that report, and on the damaging potential impacts of its misguided voter ID requirement in particular.
It lays out in detail how the ID Requirements will severely burden voters; that many Americans do not and will not have the
requisite Photo ID; that the ID recommendations will operate as a poll tax; the ID recommendation will disproportionately
burden people of color; the limited types of fraud that could be prevented by the requirements are extremely rare; and the
recommendations are inconsistent with Constitutional and other federally guaranteed statutory rights
Maybe Rendell and others have relied on the Brennan Center
Notice the Brennan Center for Justice aka connected to Century Foundation and notice who writes for the Century Foundation...
Photo ID Requirement Compromises Voter Rights
Tova Andrea Wang, Jonah H. Goldman, The Press-Enterprise, 11/6/2005
(* Wang has also written under the banner of the Century Foundation)
More
Links to the report and more reports and studies, seems pretty comprehensive
As if this could get even more confusing
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/electrefint.html
ReformElections.org is The Century Foundation's new informational Web site on election reform. http://www.reformelections.org/ *Wang reform elections.Century Foundation/Brennan Center for Justice/...
Well this is just great, isn't it. It appears Wang, writing under the reform elections banner, in " Photo ID Requirement Compromises Voter Rights" is dissing the Baker/Carter report which the Century Foundation co-commissioned with the Miller Foundation.
The Century Foundation created the reform elections site/project!
Excerpt read the entire piece
The national Commission on Federal Election Reform, led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State
James Baker, had a good opportunity to examine the systemic problems facing the American electoral system.
Unfortunately, the commission failed to live up to its mission by refusing to objectively analyze all of the available
evidence. The result is a mixed bag, with the recommendations that will buttress confidence in American elections being overshadowed
by provisions that will lead to widespread and unnecessary disenfranchisement.
The recommendation that most suffers from the commission's fatal methodological flaws is the proposal that all voters present
a nationally uniform driver's license, the REAL ID card, in order to vote. Requiring universal government-issued photo IDs
at the polls is a modern day poll tax and will not solve the problems of fraud and misconduct that occasionally plague our
electoral system....
The disenfranchising effect of the commission's photo ID proposal is made worse by the fact that it will not solve any
real problems. The ID proposal is purportedly intended to prevent fraud by voters who misrepresent their identity at the polls.
In fact, the evidence shows that the incidence of this type of fraud is extraordinarily small.
Despite the report's use of the 2004 Washington state election as evidence to support the ID provision, after lawyers in
that state searched furiously for fraudulent votes because of the litigation surrounding the gubernatorial race, only six
cases of alleged double voting were found.
Similarly, in Ohio, a statewide survey found that of the more than 9 million votes cast in that state's 2002 and 2004 general
elections combined, a total of four were found by the Board of Elections and county prosecutors to be legally actionable.
The commission's recommendation on provisional ballots—simply that there be uniform counting standards—is flawed
because it falls fatally short by failing to give any guidance as to what those standards should be.
It's critical that states clarify what standard applies when a voter casts a ballot in the wrong polling place or precinct
but in the correct jurisdiction. The vote cast should count for those races in which the voter was eligible (e.g., presidential
and senatorial).
http://www.reformelections.org/commentary.asp?opedid=1133
Hmmm more research is needed to determine whether the Baker/Carter commission recommended only the Real ID - from
my reading of Chapter 6 from the report, it doesn't appear such a suggestion is made - the suggestion is for uniformity among
the states, not a mismatch of different voter id provisions.
The voter identification would also not necessarily be contained only to voters at the polls - it could also apply
to those who seek absentee ballots Pennsylvania legislation which passed both the House and Senate was vetoed by
Governor Rendell. Pennsylavania legislation included the provision - to supply a copy of form of an identification
with the application for an absentee ballot. The PA Law as revised, also would have excluded the new provision to disallow
convicted felons to vote, only those in prison currently are not permitted to vote.
Similar legislation to PA's could be uniformly implemented - the legislation did not require specifically a photo id or
a driver's license - in fact there were a number of identification forms which would have been adequate. (Citizen Mom)
Well the mystery is settled
Wang was on the former committee!
Carter-Baker Report: Some Bad Fixes for the Wrong Problems
Tova Andrea Wang, The Century Foundation, 9/19/2005
It is truly shocking how, given all the problems in the voting system and continued disenfranchisement, the terms
of the debate have shifted to that of so-called "ballot integrity." It is reminiscent of how conservatives have misappropriated
the concept of patriotism and the American flag, and used the power of language and messaging to distort the discussion, by
using terms such as "partial birth abortion" or "death tax." The latest example of this is the just released report of the commission on election reform co-chaired by Jimmy Carter and James Baker.
The 2001 bi-partisan commission co-chaired by former President Carter and Gerald Ford, which The Century Foundation co-sponsored and I was on the staff
of (and which had an entirely different membership), had a very different approach. There were differences about how best
to implement the recommendations of the report. However, while we were concerned with accuracy and preventing fraud, we did
not see that as a goal that was in conflict with ensuring the right to vote.
It was the 2001 commission that promoted the idea of statewide voter registration databases, so that we could both
prevent fraud and ensure every registered voter was on the voting list the list and able to vote. We proposed the idea that
any voter who comes to the polls and does not appear on the list be given a provisional ballot. We stated that when a felon
completes his sentence, he should get his voting rights back. We enumerated several ways to ensure that "no individual, group
or community [holds] a justified belief that the electoral process works less well for some than for others." We even recommended
an election day holiday!
This stands in stark contrast to the entire tenor of the Carter-Baker report, which presumes that fraud committed
by voters is the biggest problem confronting our election system. There is simply no strong evidence of this, and
some of the remedies proposed will take us backwards in the fight to increase voter participation.
In addition to proposing limited felon re-enfranchisement and providing negligible input into the very important and
controversial provisional ballot questions, the report really focuses on requiring all voters to present government issued
photo ID, such as the REAL ID, in order to vote, and promoting the expensive and complex idea of making all
statewide databases "interoperable" nationwide. As I and others have documented repeatedly (see here, here, and here) voter fraud at the polling place is not our major problem, and identification requirements serve to disenfranchise many
groups of voters.
Here's what the problems are in American elections today: too few—not too many—people vote; the voter registration
system is not working for voters or elections administrators; voters are still systematically disenfranchised, due to such
policies as felon disenfranchisement, flawed felon purges, inaccessible polling sites, misallocation of voting machines, and
inappropriate challenges at the polls; voters are individually disenfranchised by continued, often race based, voter intimidation
and deceptive practices; and there is a general mistrust of the election system by the American people.
Why don't we start there instead.
Tova Andrea Wang is senior program officer and democracy fellow at The Century Foundation.
First, there is no strong evidence of widespread voter fraud using fake names, deceased names, double voting in different
states - get real - there is strong evidence, the unfortunate thing is rarely are such frauds caught until after the so-called
time period to bring challenges, and other considerations like lack of local money to investigate allegations.
There has been fraud in the voter registration and application process to acquire absentee ballots. Ballots like
that are rarely challenged because individual's names remain on the voter registration rolls even after the individual has
died.
And it's still happening as the following incidents on this site display.
Some will claim - six isn't enough - but six names which are not caught and votes are cast using six names can throw
a local election, and can throw a national election.
In Fayette County, recently, a mayor's race was won by only about a dozen votes. A couple of electors were challenged
because they were in the precinct area on election day, but had voted absentee.
Second, the Baker/Carter report does not specifically only recommend the Real ID - it calls for uniformity in provisions
among the states - and that uniformity can be state-driven, not necessarily a national driven voter identification system.
positions Brennan Center
Election Reform and HAVA Implementation
The right of each American citizen to vote and to have his
or her vote counted is protected by a variety of federal and state constitutional provisions and statutes. At the same time,
the realization of that right is dependent on many different systems of election administration in each state and in thousands
of local jurisdictions. An important challenge facing the country is to ensure that these systems in fact do guarantee the
right to vote and ensure the integrity of elections.
The federal Help America Vote Act ("HAVA") has promised
significant improvements in the administration of American elections but also opens the door to significant threats to voters’
rights. Since HAVA was passed into law in October of 2002, every state has undergone substantial changes in its election laws
and procedures. We have provided legal and legislative counseling to federal and state officials and advocates in many states
concerning the implementation of HAVA’s provisions, litigated several lawsuits to protect voters’ rights, and
collaborated with computer scientists and other experts to enhance the reliability and security of electronic voting and registration
systems. We also work in coalition with other organizations seeking to expand access to the franchise and ensure the integrity
of elections.
http://www.brennancenter.org/programs/dem_vr_hava.html
The National Network on Election Reform created CarterBaker.com in an effort to communicate its analysis
on the shortcomings with both the process the Carter Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform used to facilitate its report and the content within the report.
http://carterbaker.com/
The National Network’s detailed analysis of the Carter-Baker
Commission’s Report and Recommendations is available here.[PDF]
Commission Member Spencer Overton’s Dissent on the Carter-Baker recommendations at carterbakerdissent.com. Read additional comments from Overton at blackprof.com.
Citizen Group “Disappointed” in Carter-Baker Election Recommendations, League of Women Voter’s Statement on the recommendations
Sen. Obama's Resolution in the Senate on photo identification requirements [PDF]
Demos Responds to Carter-Baker Commission Report
ACLU on Carter-Baker Recommendations
Commentary on Carter-Baker Commission
A Mistaken Identity, The San Francisco Chronicle
Carter-Baker election reforms imperiled by its partisan voter ID mandate, Richard Hasen
Critiques of the Carter-Baker Election Commission Report, Spencer Overton and Rob Richie
Ensuring one voter, one vote, Cincinnati Post
U.S. Rep. Conyers on Carter-Baker Recommendations
Howard Dean on Carter-Baker Recommendations
Rick Hasen’s Comments on the recommendations on his website, Electionlawblog.org
Baker-Carter Election Reform Hearing: Outrageous, by Congressman John Conyers
Electoral reform groups call for James Baker's resignation from electoral reform commission, Free Press
A New Motto for Election Reform: Be Prepared , The Century Foundation
Silenced And Sidelined, Again , TomPaine.com
Baker-Carter commission recommends national voter ID card, The Raw Story
Denying Access to the Ballot, New York Times editorial
Reforming the Vote, The Washington Post editorial
Carter-Baker Report: Some Bad Fixes for the Wrong Problems, Tova Wang of the Century Foundation
Comments from Election Law Professor Dan Tokaji at EqualVote.org
Brennan Center cites only these studies to refute findings of voter fraud using fake identification, and please note
the wording "have been convicted."
A comprehensive survey of alleged voter fraud by Loraine Minnite and David Callahan has shown that the incidence of individual
voter fraud at the polls is minimal. Lorraine Minnite and David Callahan, Demos, Securing the Vote: An Analysis of Election
Fraud (2003). Read the report
The Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio & League of Women Voters Coalition report, Let the People Vote (2005), found only four instances of ineligible persons voting or attempting to vote
in 2002 and 2004, out of 9,078,728 votes cast. Read the report
The U.S. Department of Justice figures cited in the draft report show that since October 2002, only 52 individuals have
been convicted of federal voter fraud out of 196,139,871 votes cast in federal elections.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006 By James O'Toole, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the face of a challenge to his nominating petitions, state Rep. Michael Diven, R-Brookline, yesterday officially withdrew
from the Republican ballot in the May 16 primary.
But while Mr. Diven's name will not be on the primary ballot, it does not necessarily mean the end of his candidacy for
re-election.
Mr. Diven, a former Democrat who turned Republican to make an unsuccessful run for state Senate last year, said he hadn't
made up his mind on his next step, but suggested that he was inclined toward an attempt to defend his seat.
"We're still evaluating our options," he said. "Obviously, if I wanted to retire I wouldn't have circulated petitions and
sought re-election. The question is, logistically, what decision makes the most sense, but I'm definitely interested in exploring
those."
Mr. Diven could compete for the Republican nomination as a write-in candidate. Since there are no other Republican candidates,
he would win the nomination if he were to receive at least 300 votes.
He also has the option of running for re-election as an independent in the fall, a process that would require he drop his
Republican voter registration and submit 430 signatures from registered voters in the district by Aug. 1.
At this point, Chelsa Wagner, a lawyer who is a member of a prominent political family in the South Hills district, is
the only official candidate for the District 22 seat. She won the endorsement of the Democratic Party's committee members
in the district and is all but certain to be the party's nominee in the heavily Democratic district.
Mr. Diven's nominating petitions had been challenged on a variety of grounds. His opponents claimed they contained numerous
errors in the names of, and information about, the signers, and that in a handful of cases, purported signatures came from
people who were deceased.
A hearing on the case had been scheduled for today, but in view of Mr. Diven's withdrawal, Commonwealth Court, in an unsigned
order, dismissed the case as moot.
Mr. Diven acknowledged that his withdrawal was a tacit admission his petitions were vulnerable to the legal challenge,
but he insisted that whatever flaws they contained were chiefly technical. He insisted that neither he nor any members of
his staff would have knowingly submitted false information.
"Some of this is the problems that I experienced in switching to Republican. The group that was always involved in the
past in compiling signatures wasn't available to me," he said. "I can tell you, speaking for myself personally, I didn't engage
in anything that was fraud or anything of that nature. ... I have always conducted myself within the letter of the law."
Mr. Diven, a former city councilman who was first elected to the Legislature in 2000, characterized the controversy over
the petitions as the latest chapter in a long-running feud with the Democratic leadership of the state House.
After his election, Mr. Diven had several public clashes with the Democratic caucus leadership. In 2004, Rep. William DeWeese,
the Democratic leader, took the unusual step of supporting Mr. Diven's primary opponent. Mr. Diven won that race, despite
financial and logistical support of senior Democrats for his opponent, county Councilman Rich Nerone.
The rift set the stage for the Republican Party's recruitment of Mr. Diven last year as its candidate for the state Senate
vacancy created when Jack Wagner became state auditor general. Mr. Wagner is an uncle of Chelsa Wagner. In a high-profile
contest marked by unusually heavy spending on both sides, Mr. Diven lost the Senate race to Democrat Wayne Fontana.
"One thing that's important to note ... is that this wasn't some grass-roots challenge," Mr. Diven said of the court case
that prompted his withdrawal. "This came from [Democratic leaders] Bill DeWeese and [Rep.] Mike Veon."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06088/677639-179.stm
One can discern in the following article, politics plays a large part. state Rep. Michael Diven, R-Beechview withdrew
his name from the race, and where does the investigation into irregularites go? Nowhere, and that's the problem, in
part. Local law enforcement doesn't want to investigate, the state doesn't want to investigate, so the "evidence" that
could have been found, is basically "not found."
That's one reason evidence is often lacking because the cases of irregularites gets swept under the rug.
The federal government should investigate in all of these instances, but the federal government can't even keep the terrorist
"watch" lists accurate, timely, or useful.
By David M. Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Sandra Bradley knew her husband was registered as a Republican, but she was stunned to learn
his name was on a recent petition supporting the re-election bid of state Rep. Michael Diven, R-Beechview.
There's no way James J. Bradley Jr. signed the petition March 4, as it indicates, she said. The Baldwin Township man died
more than three years ago.
"It's amazing," Sandra Bradley said Wednesday. "It's really scary out there, when they talk about identity theft."
Her husband wasn't the only deceased voter named on the petition. A Pittsburgh Tribune-Review search of obituaries found
matches for at least three other names of dead people.
On Tuesday, Diven, a Democrat-turned-Republican, withdrew as a candidate for re-election in the 22nd Legislative District
because his nominating petitions were being challenged in Commonwealth Court. He has denied that he or "anyone close" to him
had knowledge of how deceased voters appeared on the paperwork.
"It was not intentional," Diven said.
Al Bowman, a spokesman for the state House Republican Campaign Committee, who returned a call for Diven yesterday, said
Diven has no plans to re-enter the race as a write-in or independent candidate.
"At this point, he's focused on finishing out his term," Bowman said.
Three Republicans from the district challenged the paperwork Diven needed to qualify for the May 16 ballot, alleging
his petitions contain the signatures of six dead people and other invalid signatures.
Sandra Bradley said she was upset that her late husband's name appeared on the petition. James Bradley, who was an electrical
engineer before his retirement, died of a heart attack Dec. 5, 2002 at age 69.
"This is almost like an invasion," she said. "It's actually forgery that somebody would sign a name like that."
Other deceased voters on a petition circulated in early March included Samuel C. Weston, 83, of Baldwin Township, who died
March 30, 2005; Margaretha Meyer, a former Baldwin Township resident who had moved to Ohio before her death, at 79, on Nov.
12, 2003; and Anna Rose Puglin, 82, also of Baldwin Township, who died March 16, 2005, according to obituary files.
The petition that included dead people listed Diven's chief of staff, Debora L. Romaniello, as its circulator. She signed
an affidavit, swearing the signatures collected were valid to the best of her knowledge. Romaniello did not return a call
seeking comment.
Republicans contended House Minority Leader H. William DeWeese, D-Greene County, was behind the challenges to Diven.
Mike Manzo, DeWeese's chief of staff, said Diven should "blame himself."
"From what I understand, there was possible criminal activity on his end," Manzo said.
Bowman, speaking for Diven, said that wasn't true.
Diven withdrew from the race so that constituents who signed his petition wouldn't be "dragged into an ugly court case,"
Bowman said. "Essentially, it ends the case."
"In its totality, we stand behind the signatures on the petition and believe we would have been successful," he said.
Brian McDonald, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State, which administers legislative elections, said any
criminal implications in such races are determined by a district attorney or other local jurisdiction.
Mike Manko, spokesman for Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., said the county Election Board has
decided in previous election-related cases whether county police should investigate.
"On its face, this seems to be an irregularity that needs to be looked at closer by that process," Manko said.
More...
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/election/s_438242.html
"absence of any evidence of voters attempting to be someone they're not"
Where does Tokaji vote?
Obviously not in the United States of America.
How about six voters who uses the name of a deceased person to vote in an election?
Investigation shows votes cast under registrations of the dead
Frank C. Smith Sr., according to county records, cast a ballot in the special election last year for Jasper County sheriff.
Smith worked as a truck driver and raised a family on the values of hard work and civic participation. But as his family
will tell you, he didn’t vote for sheriff last year.
“He couldn’t have. He was cremated,” said
his wife, Martha Smith.
Martha Smith said she and her husband were married for nearly 40 years before his death on July
12, 2000. She said they would frequently travel together when her husband went on the road.
She said things just haven’t been the same since she lost her husband, and she “can’t imagine why
the county would be saying he voted.”
“Somebody must have made a mistake,” she said. “That just doesn’t make any sense.”
Frank Smith Sr. was living in Neosho at the time of his death, but had previously lived at 322 S. Liberty St. in Webb City.
He was never removed from the Webb City voting rolls. A ballot cast in the 2003 election shows that someone voted under his
name, although the street address was scratched out and changed to 319 Liberty St.
A Globe investigation found at least six people in the Joplin area who state and county records list as having voted even
though they were deceased. Hundreds more dead people apparently remain on the area voting rolls, including some who have been
dead for nearly a decade.
A Globe analysis of Missouri voter registration records and death records showed at least 11,700 people statewide who have
died yet still appear eligible to vote in November’s election.
Of the more than 350 such names in Jasper, Newton and McDonald counties, six have been identified in state and
county voting records — by name, date of birth and Social Security number — as having voted after their deaths
...
https://www.angelfire.com/pa/sergeman/issues/elections/deceased.html
Six not enough?
How about incidents - finding clear evidence of fraud, like the following...
Inquiry finds evidence of fraud in election
By GREG J. BOROWSKI
Investigators said Tuesday they found clear evidence of fraud in the Nov. 2 election in Milwaukee, including more than
200 cases of felons voting illegally and more than 100 people who voted twice, used fake names or false addresses
or voted in the name of a dead person...
Officials said charges will be filed in coming weeks, as individual cases are reviewed and more evidence is gathered.
Nonetheless, it is likely that many - perhaps most - of those who committed fraud won't face prosecution because city records
are so sloppy that it will be difficult to establish cases that will stand up in court.
And even now, three months after the investigation, officials have not been able to close a gap of 7,000 votes, with more
ballots cast than voters listed. Officials said the gap remains at 4,609.
U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic likened it to trying to prove "a bank embezzlement if the bank cannot tell how much money
was there in the first place."
Biskupic announced the preliminary findings at a news conference, along with Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael
McCann, who is also overseeing the joint inquiry.
Tuesday's announcement could breathe new life into the Republican-backed photo ID debate, which did not survive a veto
from Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and might instead eventually go to voters as a proposed constitutional amendment.
A photo ID requirement might have caught some of the problems highlighted in Tuesday's preliminary report. It notes
cases of people voting in the name of a dead person or as someone else. Investigators located some people listed as voting
who said they did not vote.
In other cases, according to Tuesday's report, people "registered and voted with identities and addresses that
cannot in any way be linked to a real person."...
In response to the findings, Sen. Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan) said as early as next month he would advance a bill similar
to the one vetoed by Doyle. It also could be part of the recommendations from a Legislative Council task force that has been
meeting on reforms.
While Doyle has argued the measure would make Wisconsin one of the strictest states in the nation, very few other states
allow same-day registration.
Assembly Speaker John Gard (R-Peshtigo) said if Doyle again vetoes the requirement, he would move to make it part of the
state constitution, a two-year process that requires a statewide referendum but does not require the approval of the governor.
"The next presidential election in Wisconsin, I guarantee you'll need a photo ID to vote," said Gard, who is running for
the U.S. House. "I'll get this done if it is the last thing I do around here."
U.S. Rep. Mark Green, a Green Bay Republican who has introduced a national photo ID requirement, said: "People are having
their faith in the election system shaken. This news will make it much, much worse."
Green is running for governor, as is Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who also backs a photo ID requirement.
"Clearly, there is proof that fraud took place in the November 2 election," Walker said.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett attended the news conference, an unusual occurrence for an announcement by prosecutors.
From the start, Barrett said he welcomed the inquiry but also noted at several points in recent months that he had seen
no hard evidence of fraud in the system.
He acknowledged Tuesday the findings pointed to fraud and said again "any individual who committed fraud
(should) be prosecuted."
Asked if a photo ID requirement would have made a difference, he said it would not have prevented felons from voting and
would have had little impact on other problems.
Biskupic said there was no indication of a widespread conspiracy to commit voter fraud, or of any knowledge or involvement
by poll workers or any other city officials.
The city's record-keeping problems meant investigators from the FBI and Milwaukee Police Department have logged more than
1,000 hours reviewing the 70,000 same-day registration cards, including 1,300 that could not be processed because of missing
names, addresses and other information.
Indeed, about 100 cards described as "of interest to investigators" cannot be located, officials said. And within the past
few weeks, police found a previously lost box of the cards at the Election Commission offices.
Biskupic and McCann said they remain troubled that three months after the investigation began that city officials have
been unable to account for a gap of about 4,600 votes, with more ballots counted than people listed as voting.
That reflects a new assessment of the 7,000-vote gap first identified by the Journal Sentinel. Although city election officials
initially blamed postelection data entry for the flaws, the newspaper found gaps existed at dozens of wards, with more votes
counted than people tallied in log books.
The gap has been narrowed to 4,600 by a closer review of election day logs and other records, which authorities placed
off-limits to the newspaper during the investigation.
McCann said: "I will not be satisfied if we cannot uncover that - what the explanation is, or a reasonable explanation."
In all, about 277,000 people in Milwaukee voted in the election. Thus, the cases identified in the investigation constitute
a small portion of the total vote.
The findings, however, carry extra significance in a state that had an 11,000-vote margin in the presidential contest,
one of the closest in the nation.
Democrat John Kerry topped President Bush in Wisconsin, mainly because of Kerry's margin in Milwaukee and Madison.
Had a larger state, such as Ohio, gone the other way, it could have led to a Florida-style recount here that would have
turned on many of the issues that instead were left for the newspaper to uncover in its extensive investigation.
The federal-local investigation was launched Jan. 26, a day after the Journal Sentinel reported that some 1,200 votes in
the November election came from invalid addresses.
Among other findings, some 1,300 same-day registration cards were processed by poll workers who allowed people to vote
even though the cards were incomplete. Some 548 had no address listed and 48 gave no name - yet the person was allowed to
vote. Another 141 listed addresses outside the city.
The newspaper was denied access to those cards, on the recommendation of the city attorney's office, citing the inquiry.
While the investigation is still ongoing, they reported today that they found clear evidence of voter fraud, mostly in
Milwaukee. More than 200 cases involved felons voting illegally. Also more than 100 people voted twice, used fake
names or false addresses, or voted in the name of dead people.
oops, but since John Kerry won Wisconsin, well, no big outcry about the fake names in Milwaukie... And so forth.
Investigators Find Evidence of Voter Fraud
By Juliet Williams
Associated Press Writer
Published: May 10, 2005 9:04 PM EST
MILWAUKEE (AP) - A task force looking into potential voter fraud on Election Day said Tuesday that it
found more than 200 felons voted illegally and more than 100 instances of people voting twice or using fake names and addresses.
hey maybe Tokaji needs to read the same data in the article from a different newspaper
absence of any evidence of voters attempting to be someone they're not
now proven to be a bogus argument against implementation of a reasonable and responsible voter identification
system.
There are more bogus arguments, however the argument Tokaji presents is one adopted as the primary opposition to states
implementing a responsible voter identification syestem which would verify that voters are who they say they are.
In Pennsylvania, misinformation was rampant before Rendell vetoed the legislation that would have required all voters
to present voter identification.
The law would not have just applied to voters who show up at the polling place in Pennsylvania, as unfortunately some
mistakenly claimed.
In the letter, the writer
claims voters at the polling place would have had to supply a photo identification, and the id only applied to people who
showed up at the polls to vote.
The PA law would have also applied to absentee ballot voters who request an application for an absentee ballot.
With the application, the voter would have had to supply a photocopy of one of the accepted forms of identification.
The forms of id were not restricted to only a photo id or a driver's license.
Those forms are discussed on another page on the site - they are numerous.
Currently PA law requires an id be shown at the polls and presented by absentee ballot applicants for only First Time
Voters.
The change would have affected all voters, not just First Time Voters.
absence of any evidence of voters attempting to be someone they're not.
Need more evidence of voters attempting to be somebody they're not? Vote using somebody else's name, or deceased,
or fake names, including dogs and cats?
That's what we'll be presenting here.
Florida Voter Fraud Issues January 5, 1998
Interesting and funny
Rendell beware the wording...
Pa. Governor to Veto Voter ID Bill
By KATHY MATHESON, Associated Press Writer
...Rendell, citing a letter from the League of Women Voters, said there is no compelling evidence that
any Pennsylvania election has been affected by ineligible people posing as registered voters.
Right no compelling evidence... well Gov. in a precinct where one vote could make the difference between you and Swann
winning the election - just one poser using a deceased's name from the inflated voter registration roll is one too many.
Let's see what we can find about PA
Voter Rights vs. Voter Fraud
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
...
America is still a country whose voting practices depend on the honesty of individuals who want to vote, and with every
poll showing the presidential race as historically tight, every registration is prized. Even 2002’s Help America
Vote Act (search), federal legislation designed to tighten up identification requirements and help more people vote, is subject to local interpretation.
The problem, it seems, is the act’s mandate that the country’s election officials use their best efforts to minimize
voter disenfranchisement.
And with that, many of our country’s precinct captains, state attorneys general and election commissioners are off
to the races.
Though one’s honesty is the foundation of one’s ability to vote in America, the system — comprised of
voter registration forms, voting rolls and polling places — is designed to offer some safeguard against fraud. The weak
link is in the initial registration.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,136847,00.html
This topical archive was created to catalog news and blog coverage of election fraud and suspected election fraud
from around the country and around the blogosphere during campaign 2004.
http://billhobbs.com/hobbsonline/cat_voter_fraud.html Tuesday, December 5, 2000
...Register and vote in the name of multiple non-existent persons, or dead persons.
| Once again, people are confusing the two stages of this. The first is to present a photo ID, the second stage is that
the ID proves you're a citizen. In Colorado, we have to present an ID to vote, although I don't believe it has to be a photo
ID, but I would agree it isn't much of a hardship.
Proving you are a citizen is a whole other matter. Who issues this citizenship ID, the DMV? Here, anyway, that would be
a total snarl / chaos / gargantuan headache. Are they equipped to tell forgeries of birth certificates? If you saw a birth
certificate from another state, since people do move around a lot, how could you tell if it was legit? My wife, who is a naturalized
citizen, had a Colorado Drivers license for years before she became a citizen, all she had to do was prove that she could
drive, and that she lived in the state. Nobody asked if she was a citizen or not. Unless you have a passport, can you prove
you are a citizen? Does the standard change from state to state?
There was an article in the local paper today about doing a national ID program, the cost was estimated at $11,000,000,000,
and a whole new bureaucracy to go along with the Airport Luggage Rummage Brigade. With this comes the debate about National
ID cards, and their use/worth in a country where, theoretically anyway, we value personal liberty. Thats a whole other realm
of discussion |
|
