News
Pa. Legislator Seeks Again to Impeach State Attorney General
Rep. Daryl Metcalfe has renewed his call to impeach Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane for what he called "blatant disregard and disrespect for the law." The Republican, who represents Butler County, had introduced a similar resolution last year after Kane refused to defend Pennsylvania's marriage law. That law was eventually overturned in the courts. On Monday, Metcalfe circulated a memo to his House colleagues seeking co-sponsors for a new resolution calling for Kane's impeachment. The memo comes after a difficult week for Kathleen Kane, in which a grand jury rejected her claims that charges against Philadelphia lawmakers who allegedly took bribes to oppose a voter ID law could not be pursued because the investigation was racially motivated. That presentment spurred public criticism from Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams and U.S. Rep. Robert Brady, chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party. An exerpt from Rep. Metcalfe's memo: "During the public hearing, testifier J. Christian Adams, Policy Board member of the , observed,'It is the obligation of the Attorney General to ignore the race, religion or partisan affiliation of wrongdoers in deciding whether to enforce the law.' Because the Attorney General raised the specter of racial targeting in announcing her decision not to continue the investigation, she has not met this obligation. In contrast, the outcome of DA Williams' efforts has, thus far, proven that such investigations can be successfully conducted without partisan or racial considerations. In recent comments on the investigation, Williams stated, 's an African American and as a law enforcement official, I was disgusted that the Attorney General would bring racism into this case.'"
Pennsylvania Legislator Was Paid to Oppose Voter ID Law, Grand Jury Alleges
PHILADELPHIA -- Pennsylvania State Rep. Ron Waters was charged Dec. 16 with allegedly accepting a $8,750 bribe to oppose a voter ID bill and take other official actions on behalf of an informant. Waters, D-191, and state Rep. Vanessa Brown, D-190, both of Philadelphia, each were charged with criminal conspiracy, bribery in official and political matters, conflict of interest and for failing to make required disclosures on statements of financial interest. Waters and Brown were among four state lawmakers caught in an undercover sting investigation that state Attorney General Kathleen Kane declined to prosecute, claiming the case was flawed. Williams later requested the case, which was submitted to an ongoing Philadelphia investigative grand jury. Waters, who represents Darby Borough and parts of Yeadon, allegedly accepted nine payments totalng $8,750 from an informant between Oct. 22, 2010, and April 20, 2012, according to the findings of an investigative grand jury.
Kentucky Mayor, Husband Sentenced for Vote Buying
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WSAZ) -- The 69-year-old former mayor of Martin, Ky. was sentenced to 90 months in a federal prison. Ruth Robinson was sentenced Monday afternoon in U.S District Court in Pikeville. Earlier this year, Robinson was convicted on federal vote buying, civil rights violations, and social security charges in two separate cases. Robinson's husband, James "Red" Robinson, 64, was also sentenced Monday for his conviction in the vote buying case. He was sentenced to 40 months in a federal prison.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Warns of Potential Vote Fraud
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner told WMUR that the state's same-day voter registration poses a threat to the integrity of the process. About 35,000 people registered and voted on Nov. 4. No ID was required, just a signature. Rep. Sharon Carson (R-Nashua), who is introducing legislation to impose a 30-day residency requirement, said, "We have a problem with drive-by voting."
Kansas Sec. State: Election Showed Voter ID Did Not Suppress Turnout
HUTCHINSON -- Secretary of State Kris Kobach boasted that 51 percent voter turnout in November 2014 showed that requirements to prevent voter fraud actually can improve turnout. Speaking Dec. 2 at the Patriot Freedom Alliance meeting in Hutchinson, Kobach pointed out that participation in the midterm general election in November 2010 - prior to the new voter rules - was 50 percent. Kobach successfully sought legislation to require voter photo identification, to add security for mail ballots, and to mandate proof of citizenship for new voters. Critics charged the law would suppress voter turnout. "The argument is dead," Kobach said. Kobach's selection of 2010 as a benchmark made 51 percent appear good. He didn't mention, though, the 52 percent turnout rate in the 2006 midterm, or the 53 percent turnout in 2002. He selected 2010 for comparison, he told the audience, because the election circumstances in 2010 were "extremely similar to this year," with interesting races. The country had an unpopular president in 2010 - President Obama - and Kansas had an open race for governor and the U.S. Senate on the ballot, Kobach said. In 2010, Kansans had a "very competitive" race for governor, and a "very competitive" Senate race, especially in the August 2010 primary but in the general election as well, Kobach said.
Politician Whose Son Is Senator’s Chief of Staff Urges Supporters to ‘Vote Twice’
Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu's chief-of-staff was present at an event held a day before the midterm election in which his father, a Louisiana mayor, urged people to vote twice in order to re-elect Landrieu. The Black Conservatives Fund published video of the event, recorded on Nov. 3, showing Opelousas mayor Don Cravins Sr. telling a crowd that if they had already cast an early voting ballot in the election that they should vote again. "If you early voted, go vote again tomorrow," Cravins Sr. told the crowd which was gathered at the Charcoal Lounge. Cravins Sr. is a former state senator and Democratic Party operative. He is currently facing a run-off against another Democrat. The mayor's son is Don Cravins Jr., Landrieu's chief-of-staff. According to the Black Conservatives Fund, he was present at the event when his father urged voters to engage in fraud. "One more time's not going to hurt," Cravins Sr. says. "Tomorrow we're going to elect Earl Taylor as D.A. so he won't prosecute you if you vote twice."
Alabama Voter ID Law Worked, Sec. State Says
MONTGOMERY -- Secretary of State Jim Bennett said that Alabama's new photo voter ID law caused only a few inquiries to his office during the Nov. 4 election. The general election was the biggest test yet of the law, with 1.2 million people voting. It was in effect for the first time during the primaries in June. "We feel very good about the results of the implementation of that program," Bennett said. The Republican-led Legislature passed the law in 2011, saying it would help prevent voter fraud. Voters were already required to show an ID, but could use those with no photo, like a Social Security card or utility bill. Many Democrats opposed the law, saying it was intended to suppress the vote by making it harder on the elderly and people with no driver's license.
Non-Citizens Are Voting
By John Fund Could non-citizen voting be a problem in next week's elections, and perhaps even swing some very close elections? A new study by two Old Dominion University professors, based on survey data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study, indicated that 6.4 percent of all non-citizens voted illegally in the 2008 presidential election, and 2.2 percent in the 2010 midterms. Given that 80 percent of non-citizens lean Democratic, they cite Al Franken 's 312-vote win in the 2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate race as one likely tipped by non-citizen voting. As a senator, Franken cast the 60th vote needed to make Obamacare law. North Carolina features one of the closest Senate races in the country this year, between Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis. So what guerrilla filmmaker James O'Keefe, the man who has uncovered voter irregularities in states ranging from Colorado to New Hampshire, has learned in North Carolina is disturbing. This month, North Carolina officials found at least 145 illegal aliens, still in the country thanks to the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, registered to vote. Hundreds of other non-citizens may be on the rolls.
849 Registered New York Voters Are 164 Years Old
A single Bronx voter listed in official records as being 164 years old led Board of Elections officials to review their files -- where they turned up another 849 New Yorkers who were supposedly alive when Abe Lincoln was president. The stunning discovery came after The Post reported last week that the birth date of Luz Pabellon, a spry 73-year-old who has been living and voting in The Bronx since the 1970s, was recorded as Jan. 1, 1850. This week, a search of the records in all five boroughs found 849 more voters with the same wacky birth date. Board officials chalked up the implausible age snafu to previous practices that allowed residents not to provide their exact birthdays when registering to vote.
‘Ballot Harvesting’ in Colorado Raises Questions
DENVER -- It's harvest time in Colorado, and not just for pumpkins. Concerns are running high over door-to-door campaign workers asking voters for their mail-in ballots in what is known as "ballot harvesting." Now that all-mail voting is the law of the land in Colorado, the challenge for campaigns is to persuade voters to drop off or mail in their ballots -- or hand them to the foot soldiers who turn up on their doorsteps offering to do it for them. While it's legal to give your ballot to someone else -- one person may turn in up to 10 ballots -- election watchers worry that the practice is ripe for abuse.