Among subjects, voter fraud, going on possibly right now, Sammon said.
Sammon made a quick comment about Acorn, stating the organization was being investigated in several states, including Pennsylvania, by the way. He said voting was going on now in the state.
(He must mean military and civilian citizens in foreign countries beginning the absentee voting process since voter registration is legally ongoing until October 6, 2008. Registered voters can make a formal request for an absentee ballot at this time and usually have until one-week before the election to return the ballot to the election bureau in their voting district October 31 in PA. Check with the district for absolute dates as those may be different for military vs civilian citizens stationed or living overseas
October 31, 2008 - All absentee ballots except those received by military and overseas electors, and those received emergency absentee electors who become ill or are called away from after 5 o’clock P.M. (5:00 P.M.) on this day, must be received by the County Board of Elections not later than 5 o’clock P.M. (5:00 P.M.) on this day to be counted.
**No absentee ballots other than those listed above received after this date and time will be counted in the election.
http://www.co.washington.pa.us/generalpage.aspx?menuDept=23&genPageID=248
sammon made a comment about Obama being a lawyer at one point for the group Acorn.
He also promoted his recent book, Stealing Elections.
Maybe Fox News will do some hard investigation of what has been said to be a negligible form of fraud in elections. Absentee ballot fraud.
Interesting read, gather site though we don't engage in calling candidates socialist or fascist, we do broach the topic of whether or not candidates support socialist type programs or use fascist techniques...
Barack Obama and ACORN
July 17, 2008 09:39 AM EDT
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977400055
Obama site notes his work on behalf of a lawsuit presented by Acorn
Obama Got Start in Civil Rights Practice
The Los Angeles Times | February 20, 2007
Obama was part of a team of attorneys who represented the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois in 1995 for failing to implement a federal law designed to make it easier for the poor and others to register as voters.
A federal court ordered the state to implement the law.
http://www.barackobama.com/2007/02/20/obama_got_start_in_civil_right.php
Strong, silent type
OBAMA'S LEGAL CAREER | He was 'smart, innovative, relentless,' and he mostly let other lawyers do the talking
December 17, 2007 BY ABDON M. PALLASCH
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/700499,CST-NWS-Obama-law17.article
Now we're not into smears, and it appears from the info the state erred in its failure to implement the federal law. One can't really blame organizations for attempting to take advantage of federal laws which attempt to make it extremely easy for potential voters to register to vote.
What's needed is oversight and financial help locally to clean up the existing database of registered voters. Most local officials are reluctant to begin a purge just out of fear of such legal challenges. so most registration databases are woefully bloated of not only persons who moved out of the state, but are deceased.
We've covered this situation here and at our companion site Vote Fix.
Net the Truth Online
Eric Shawn will host a segment on the Fox News Channel Sunday on the issue of voter fraud. Is it running rampant across the USA.
They should send a team our way.
Purge of inactive Fayette voters delayed
By Jennifer Harr, Herald-Standard
08/09/2008
A purge of about 25,000 Fayette County voters who have failed to show up at the polls in five years has been delayed until after the November election.
Laurie Lint, director of the Fayette County Election Bureau, said Friday that preparing and sending out letters in nine business days was too big an undertaking. On July 24, the commissioners voted to move forward with the purge with the understanding that letters had to be sent out to the voters by Aug. 6. The purge has to be initiated 90 days before an election.
At the time, Lint said she thought she could make the deadline.
But as she began to evaluate the process - which included the need for additional supplies, printing letters, folding them and stuffing them - Lint said she realized she would need additional time to make sure everything was done correctly.
"We were afraid it wasn't going to get done right, and I didn't want to push it through fast. We wanted to do it 100 percent right," Lint said.
Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites said he also was disappointed that the purge was put off. At a May commissioners' meeting, Vicites said he pushed for, and the three agreed, to direct Lint to bring a plan for purging the rolls to the June 26 meeting.
Lint did not do that, he said, noting that she waited until the July 24 meeting to address the purge. Had Lint brought the plan forward in June, Vicites said she would have weeks instead of days to complete the task.
"I specifically put this on the agenda right after the April 22 election to make sure it got done," Vicites said. "It didn't, and I'm not happy about it."
He noted that this is an important election cycle because of the presidential election.
"The rolls need to be as accurate as possible, especially with this type of election, and with the larger turnout that we're going to have," he said.
But because the purge cannot be completed now, Vicites said he is going to continue focusing on making sure it gets done after the November election.
Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink said she realized when she took office in 2004 that the county's voter records needed updated. She said she wanted to push for a purge that first year, but when she learned that the federal government was mandating that counties change voting machines, she realized the difficulty of having two such major undertakings going on at the same time.
"I really anticipated the election bureau to be prepared to do the purge by now," Zimmerlink said, noting that at the commissioners meeting she asked for a written, detailed plan.
Zimmerlink said she did not believe that the election bureau employees would be able to complete all work associated with the purge in nine working days.
"It is more than simply mailing out letters, it also involves processing the returns and mailings, and inputting the updates to the system. This is all coupled with preparing for the Nov. 4 election, which is expected to have a high turnout," she said.
Zimmerlink said she would like to see "a well-thought out plan" in place so that the commissioners can assist the election bureau employees in getting the purge completed.
More than one year ago, Zimmerlink said she asked Lint to develop an annual written voter removal program that complied with the election code. That policy is still not in place, she said, but the best start would be for the county to go through mailings sent out every five years through the state's SURE system.
The Statewide Uniform Registry of Electors (SURE) is a statewide voter registration and election management system "designed to assure the accuracy and integrity of the commonwealth's voter registration records maintained by the election authorities of Pennsylvania's 67 counties," according to the Department of State Web site.
The state's voting registration system can help to confirm the number of voters, and assist in the process of sending out mailings to the voters.
Zimmerlink said the process after the mailing is very important.
"We need to have an internal procedure to receive the returned mailings and input the data into the SURE system in a timely manner so that the poll books and system were up to date so that after the two general election periods have passed, the system removes the names," she said. "If this isn't set up and followed using the SURE system, then the entire purge process could be compromised."
Additionally, Zimmerlink said the county needs an annual procedure to update the information in the registration records to ensure they stay current.
Those who were to receive the letters would have until Oct. 6 to respond. Under the plan, those who don't respond would remain on the list through two federal election cycles - or until 2010.
Commissioner Chairman Vincent Zapotosky said pushing back the purge means that voters now will be on the rolls until 2012.
While he said he is disappointed that the letters couldn't be sent out in time, Zapotosky said he would rather wait to make sure the purge is done right.
In addition to needing supplies to complete the purge, he said that it would have put a strain on the election bureau staff.
"I'd rather do it right than do it in a hurry and wrong, but I'm disappointed," Zapotosky said. "This was a priority."
http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19901537&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6
Fayette postpones purging 25,000 voters
By Mary Pickels
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, August 8, 2008
A Fayette County voter purge that was to begin earlier this week has been postponed, the director of the election bureau said Thursday.
"We're going to do it after the (fall) election," Laurie Lint said. "The time constraints were too close. I didn't want to start and not complete it."
The postponement did not sit well with Commissioner Vincent Vicites, who said the purge had been discussed at a May board meeting.
"I'm disappointed it's not being done," Vicites said yesterday.
"We need to make sure our rolls are as accurate as possible. This is probably the most important election cycle in the last four years."
Vicites said Lint was to have a plan ready to present for board approval at the June meeting.
"That did not happen," he said. "I wanted her to move forward on it. The point I'm making is I brought it up in plenty of time.
"Now we have to do it next spring. I will remain fervent about getting it accomplished."
On July 24, the commissioners agreed to authorize the purge, which would have notified as many as 25,000 inactive voters.
At that meeting, Lint said the mailing process had to have been completed by Wednesday, within 90 days of the fall election.
"Can we do it by that date?" Commissioner Vincent Zapotosky asked at the meeting. "Let's not pursue it unless we're 100 percent sure."
Zapotosky and Vicites both said they considered the purge among their top priorities.
Yesterday, Zapotosky said when he spoke with Lint more than a week ago, she could not give him a 100 percent guarantee of meeting the deadline.
"That kind of triggered putting a stop to it," he said. "Laurie made the call. I gave her the opportunity to decide whether we should or should not.
"I don't hold her responsible. I think she made a good decision."
Lint said efforts were made to meet Wednesday's deadline.
"It just didn't work out," she said. "It wasn't feasible for me to get it done and postmarked and out of here by the 6th."
Lint said her greatest concern was getting the materials she needed in time.
"I couldn't be guaranteed I would have all of my supplies in here and out on time -- printed, folded, presorted and stuffed," she said.
When the purge takes place, voters who wish to remain on the rolls will be asked to return notices in postage-paid envelopes provided by the county.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/news/fayette/s_581779.html
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