ACRU Staff, Author at Voting Integrity Institute

Florida Mayor, Two Others, Indicted for Vote Fraud

ORLANDO --The mayor of Eatonville and two others face a host of charges in connection with an election fraud investigation. News of the indictment came as the grand jury looking into the case concluded its service Monday. Mayor Anthony Grant is accused of offering bribes in exchange for absentee votes -- allegations the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has investigated. "These three people conspired together to essentially present votes as if they were legitimate," said State Attorney Jeff Ashton. "That is the allegation in a number of the counts." Grant turned himself into authorities Monday night and is in the custody of the Orange County Jail. The two others named in the indictment, James Randolph and Mia Nowells, are also in custody. Officials said Randolph and Nowells worked for or with Grant during the election. "This indictment is the culmination of a one-year investigation," Ashton said. In a news conference, Ashton said Grant, along with his two alleged co-conspirators, Nowells and Randolph, is accused of either telling people how to vote or intimidating people to influence how they voted on their absentee ballots in last year's election.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:19:28+00:00March 31st, 2016|Absentee / Mail-in Voting, News, Vote Fraud|

West Virginia May Permit Auto Voter Signup

CHARLESTON (AP) - A push to automatically sign up voters that began with new laws in Oregon and California will soon likely hit a third, notably less liberal state - West Virginia. The proposed change has taken a less-than-conventional route to the governor's desk. After condemning a Republican voter ID bill as the "voter suppression act," Democrats offered an amendment to include automatic registration when people get driver's licenses or IDs. The Republican-led Legislature accepted it without much resistance. The reception was much cooler on the West Coast - only one Republican in California and none in Oregon voted for similar automatic registration setups. And in New Jersey, Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar proposal cleared by Democrats last year. But West Virginia's Republican Senate president had only positive things to say. "If managed properly, automatic registration is a great benefit to our citizens and will encourage more people to go to the polls," said Senate President Bill Cole, R-Mercer.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:36:33+00:00March 31st, 2016|Automatic Registration, News, Voter ID|

Court Date Set for Texas Voter ID Law

A May 24th court date has been set to re-hear the case surrounding the Texas Voter ID law. In August, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal ruled the law violates part of the Voting Rights Acts. However a majority of the full, 15-member court wants to reconsider the case. The voter ID law requires millions of registered voters to show a picture ID at the polls.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00March 31st, 2016|In the Courts, News, Voter ID|

ACLU Sues Kansas over Proof-of-Citizenship Voting Law

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tens of thousands of people in Kansas are being deprived of their right to vote, the American Civil Liberties Union argued in a lawsuit filed on Feb. 18 that challenged a state law requiring residents to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The suit is the latest to take direct aim at a three-year-old measure ushered into law by Secretary of State Kris W. Kobach, who has lobbied heavily over the years for measures that he said were needed to prevent non-citizens from casting ballots. The ACLU, arguing that fraud claims were unfounded, brought the class-action suit in federal court on behalf of six Kansas residents who said they were left off the voter rolls after registering at the state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Passed by its Republican-dominated legislature five years ago, the law requires residents to show proof of citizenship when they register.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:01+00:00March 19th, 2016|In the Courts, News, Press Releases, Proof of Citizenship, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

CBS Evening News Sounds the Alarm Playing the Race Card Against Voter ID Laws

Amidst their voluminous Super Tuesday 3 coverage, the CBS Evening News found just over two minutes to trot out the tired liberal argument that voter ID laws, like the one in North Carolina, have a racist angle. Anchor Scott Pelley set the scene from the start of the segment before correspondent Mark Strassamann took over by making it clear that it would be a left-leaning piece on the issue: "In North Carolina, about 1,000 voters cast provisional ballots because they didn't have enough identification to meet the state's new, strict voter ID law. The law was passed even though voter fraud is almost unknown there. Opponents say the law is meant to silence minority voters."

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00March 16th, 2016|ACRU Commentary, Vote Fraud, Voter ID|

Non-Citizen Voting Case Pits Justice Department Against States that Require Proof-of-Citizenship

By Hans von Spakovsky The free-for-all boxing match between the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Kansas, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resumed on Wednesday, March 9. They're tussling over the right of states to require proof-of-citizenship from people using the federal voter registration form. In Courtroom 18 of the D.C. federal courthouse, Judge Richard Leon presided over a sometimes contentious hearing on the plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction that would rescind the Election Assistance Commission's change of the instructions on the federal voter registration form to accommodate a request by Kansas. The Sunflower State wants the form to note that Kansans wishing to register must meet a proof-of-citizenship requirement. At the first hearing in this case on Feb. 22, Leon refused to grant a temporary restraining order requested by the League of Women Voters and the NAACP, the plaintiffs who don't want the Election Assistance Commission to mention proof-of-citizenship. Justice Department Unwilling to Defend Election Assistance Commission Normally, the Justice Department would be expected to defend the Election Assistance Commission in court. Instead, the Justice Department lawyers tried to throw the case by agreeing to a temporary restraining order. Leon expressed astonishment at the Department of Justice's behavior, calling it "unprecedented" and "extraordinary." Rather than take that as a warning about the Department of Justice's potentially unethical and unprofessional behavior in refusing to carry out its duty to defend its client, the Federal Programs Branch came into this week's hearing once again trying to lose the case.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:38:01+00:00March 15th, 2016|ACRU Commentary, Proof of Citizenship, Voter ID|

Court to Hear Appeal of Ruling Striking Down Texas Voter ID Law

AUSTIN -- The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will to hear arguments on the constitutionality of the Texas voter identification law, the court said late Wednesday. The move, in response to a request by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, is the latest step in a case that seems destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. Last year, a panel of three judges on the appeals court issued a complicated ruling that largely was applauded by the plaintiffs in the case -- which include several civil rights groups and U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth -- when it said the state's voter ID law violates the U.S. Voting Rights Act through its discriminatory effects. The panel affirmed a portion of a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of Corpus Christi, rejected another piece of it and sent other portions back to the lower court for further review. Later that month, Paxton asked the whole court to rehear the case, Veasey v. Abbott. In its order Wednesday, the court didn't specify a date to hear the case. Paxton responded Wednesday by saying the order "is a strong step forward" in the state's defense of the law. "Safeguarding the integrity of our elections is a primary function of state government and is essential to preserving our democratic process," he said in a statement. "We look forward to presenting our case before the full Fifth Circuit." Chad Dunn, an attorney for the lead plaintiff, said he looks forward to presenting the case. "So far, seven federal judges have already struck down Texas' voter photo identification law because it is the most complicated, discriminatory and burdensome such law in the country," he said.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00March 12th, 2016|News, Voter ID|

Voter ID Age Dawns in North Carolina

Raleigh -- After years of debate and lawsuits, showing photo identification at the polls is now a fact of life for North Carolina voters. Early voting for the March 15 primary started Thursday across the state, and every voter is being asked for a photo ID, even if they've voted at the same precinct for years and the poll workers know them. "The check-in official is going to be responsible for looking for reasonable resemblance, and the only thing they're looking at is the photo on the ID - does the photo reasonably resemble the person?" said Kim Strach, director of the State Board of Elections.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:34:41+00:00March 12th, 2016|Early Voting, News, Voter ID|

No Voters Denied Due to Photo ID Law, former Virginia Officials Testify

Several former state and local election officials testified in federal court that they were not aware of any eligible voter who has been denied the right to cast a ballot because of Virginia's photo voter ID requirement enacted in 2013. "None," said Cameron Quinn, a former state elections official who from 2011 until last year was the general registrar for Fairfax County, testifying on March 1 in the sixth day of a trial before U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson in a lawsuit filed by the Democratic Party of Virginia and two voters challenging the state law. Fairfax is the state's largest jurisdiction and has 700,000 registered voters. Justin Riemer, a former member of the Virginia State Board of Elections and Donald Palmer, the former secretary of the board, also testified that they were not aware of anyone unable to vote because of the photo requirement.

ACRU Staff2020-05-03T23:35:34+00:00March 12th, 2016|In the Courts, News, Voter ID|