LOU DOBBS: A presidential election now 35 days away. Election fraud still posing a dangerous threat to this democracy. Perhaps even worsening. Early voting began today in Ohio. After the State Supreme Court there ruled that absentee voters could register and cast their ballots on the same day. As Kitty Pilgrim now reports, that new law could lead to massive election fraud in that critical swing state.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're here to vote, let's go vote. They opened up early.
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Ohio today, new rules allow one-stop voting. From now until October 6th, new voters can register to vote and cast an absentee ballot at the same time. But how can all those new registrations be checked before the votes are counted?
KEVIN DEWINE, DEP. CHAIR. OHIO REP. PARTY: There's a great opportunity for people who otherwise shouldn't be allowed to vote to be able to cast a ballot and we think that with the crush of other election activities that are going on in Ohio, that the Board of Elections workers, we think they're going to be hard pressed to get through and take care of all of the verification.
PILGRIM: No photo ID is required. New Ohio voters have only to write down the last four digits of their Social Security number or write down their driver's license number. They can also register with the utility bill, cell phone bill, bank statement or paycheck, even college ID if those documents include name and address. Ohio Secretary of State, Democrat Jennifer Brunner, changed the rules on absentee voting by directive.
LARRY WOLPERT (R), OHIO ST. REPRESENTATIVE: There wasn't anything voted on. The General Assembly did not vote on this. The people's representatives did not vote on this. She issued a directive and said this is the way it's going to be. That's the reason why we had to sue in court.
PILGRIM: The Republicans lost their suit against the rule in the Ohio Supreme Court. They charge the Democratic secretary of state changed the rules to usher in scores of new voters for presidential candidate Barack Obama. She denies the charge. The secretary of state's office estimates that a quarter of all votes cast in this election, more than a million and a half, will be absentee ballots.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Now Secretary of State Brunner's office today said there are safeguards for checking the registration of new voters. They're satisfied with the proof of identity requirements, but critics say election boards are unprepared to register and check this quantity of new voters just before an important election, Lou.
DOBBS: Has everybody lost their minds? There's no way for these volunteers to check that. I mean it's an absurdity.
PILGRIM: Yeah, the officials we spoke to today say the county boards are just overwhelmed with the volume that they have to do at this point. It's such a big election.
DOBBS: Well, it is a big election, important election, but apparently no one cares about that. Kitty, thank you very much. Kitty Pilgrim.
So you can register for same day voting in Ohio with nothing more than a college ID. And other than Lou Dobbs, where is the rest of the MSM on reporting about this abuse of the election system?
—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.
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Comments Policy
Mr. Gladnick:
October 2, 2008 - 08:21 ET by j. frank wilsonWhat makes this an abuse of the system? While it could be abused, there is no evidence that this has happened.
Four years ago folks stood in line for hours and hours to vote. Many left because they had to return to work, family duties - heck, some probably just had to go to the bathroom. Was that an abuse of the system?
Finally - this was well covered yesterday (Wednesday, Oct. 1st) morning on NPR. Is that part of the MSM?
»→ Good one Frank
October 2, 2008 - 08:35 ET by Cool ArrowNothing wrong with the Association of Community Organizers pulling select people off the street to register and handing them a ballot.
Got a problem with Company Commanders doing the same in mess halls across the Military?
Thought so.
"I've got a bracelet too" - Barack Obama
Yep
October 2, 2008 - 09:15 ET by 10ksnookerSometimes it just takes a little thought.
Cool Arrow:
October 2, 2008 - 10:15 ET by j. frank wilsonI believe it was during the American Civil War that soldiers first had the opportunity to vote while serving. Personally, I'm all for that. And please consider that Abe Lincoln was running against Gen. McClellan, the extraordinarily popular former commander of the Union Army.
Anything that facilitates American service men and women voting and otherwise participating in our democratic processes is absolutely the right thing to do.
BTW: Which Republican did most active-duty military support (based on campaign contributions sorted by occupation)? Which of the remaining two Presidential candidates?
»→ Don't know Frank
October 2, 2008 - 10:20 ET by Cool ArrowAre you saying Jefferson Davis was on the ballot? I didn't know he was up for reelection so soon.
Kill Bill II - Stop the bailout
You mean Cold Cash
October 2, 2008 - 15:49 ET by Dan The Man 2You mean Cold Cash Jefferson?
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
Sure, no problems here....
October 2, 2008 - 08:43 ET by bpjamIf I'm an Ohio State student but I live in Indiana, I can vote in BOTH STATES!!! Whoo Hoo!!!!
Let's be honest. There is no interest in finding out who is a resident and who just showed up to vote. They did the same thing in Madison, WI and the web was filled with WI students proclaiming that they went from precinct to precinct to vote over and over again against Bush (Bush lost WI, btw).
If this was a brilliant idea with no legal and ethical ramifications, the legislature would have been presented with the option of considering it. But the Obama lawyers (ie, the Secretary of States office) are exploiting any loopholes to ensure massive chaos. And chaos doesn't benefit both parties, now does it?
This is the same Sec of State who tried to deny 1M GOP absentee voter ballots over a technicality which she invented herself. No partisanship going on in Ohio, thank God.
Just this one little problem
October 2, 2008 - 08:47 ET by SickofLibs...an estimated 1.5 million absentee ballots to be cast, and verification is not likely to occur because they are admittedly overwhelmed?
No photo ID required? If an easily forged cell phone bill is adequate proof of ID, maybe just presenting a Walmart coupon would be good enough, too.
Frankie, voting has always
October 2, 2008 - 08:51 ET by Dan The Man 2Frankie, voting has always been a privilige and sometimes one must sacrifice time and effort to vote. Its something you may not recognize, commitment. In Texas we can vote absentee, but we do have to register months ahead of time. And your name is printed on a register you are required to sign. I am all for an ID to prevent fraud also.
Heard the NPR and it was a so sad piece and covered the fraud part like there wont be any fraud.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
oh yeah
October 2, 2008 - 08:21 ET by candanceI was just talking about this on the other thread. My sister who lives in Ohio let me listen to a voicemail she got from Matt Damon. He said people in Ohio could find an early voting booth and vote for Obama whenever they wanted to.
"Vote early, and often."
October 2, 2008 - 08:50 ET by SickofLibs"Vote early, and often."
This country is doomed....
October 2, 2008 - 08:42 ET by AgentAmericanImagine an election with NO clear winner. This election will not be decided on November 4. It will be tied up in litigation and lawsuits, mostly from the Obama side.
Florida 2000 is a traffic court dispute compared to what is coming...
Two Presidents?
Drill ANWAR
Why can't we verify who is voting?
October 2, 2008 - 08:47 ET by Tom PaineWhy are liberals so afraid for us to know if the people who are voting are actually legitimate? All of these early voting, absentte voting and internet voting schemes are nothing more than an open invitation to voter fraud. Whenever someone isn't allowed to vote by showing up on election day using a 2 year old electric bill as idnetification the libs are always quick to cry voter supression. I think everyone should be required to show up in person on election day to cast their vote. If you can't get off your @ss 2 days a year to make your voice heards I don't know that we really want to hear what you have to say. I also love how Ohio Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner can change the rules to suit her purposes, and yet Katherine Harris was the bitter partisan in Florida in 2000
Correctimundo
October 2, 2008 - 08:58 ET by SickofLibs"If you can't get off your @ss 2 days a year..."
It's worse than that - it's only two days every FOUR years.
State & Local
October 2, 2008 - 10:42 ET by Tom PaineI was counting state and local elections as well
Tom Paine:
October 2, 2008 - 10:17 ET by j. frank wilsonWould that be the Katherine Harris who ran President Bush's campaign in Florida? As I recall, the good voters of Florida abolished that office.
I don't think so
October 2, 2008 - 10:37 ET by Tom PaineI don't believe Florida abolished the office of Secretary of State
No wonder Obama's in the
October 2, 2008 - 08:52 ET by mattmNo wonder Obama's in the lead.
Not to worry
October 2, 2008 - 08:54 ET by SickofLibsEverything is OK - NPR was all over this yesterday, and is closely monitoring it.
Sickoflibs...
October 2, 2008 - 09:07 ET by goldenthroatYeah, right. That's tantamount to the fox guarding the hen house!
"Don't crush that dwarf! Hand me the pliers!" - Firesign Theatre
Living in Ohio
October 2, 2008 - 08:55 ET by jgarciaMy son who is 19 is leaving for boot Camp in a few weeks (before the election). He hasn't signed up to vote, however, he wants to go down to the early voting and see what is going on for his own eyes. I am going with him and we are going to check out both sides of this........ I will try and report back what happens!
Ohio is not the only state
October 2, 2008 - 09:03 ET by MissIndependentI live in North Carolina and they are doing the same thing here - register to vote and then vote right away - during 7- 10 days in October. On (at least one) college campus they have set up an early voting area where students and employees can vote. And it is especially odd because the campus is a private university - not a public location. I am interested to know if/how the elections people at a person's regular voting place will know if that the person voted early at another location and not allow them to vote on November 4...
Ridiculous
October 2, 2008 - 09:07 ET by Copperhead RidgeEarly voting and absentee voting is totally out-of-control. I think I've stated before that I work fairly closely with election officials in my state (well part of it). I work in a non-partisan capacity, even though I'm a hard core partisan outside of my profession.
Local election officials tell me all the time that they feel under attack by the left on issues of voter registration, provisional ballots, absentee ballots, and "early voting." I've seen these people in clerks' offices literally stomp their feet and demand justice after they offer a lame excuse for voting early. The other day a lady told an election clerk that she had just moved to Ohio but was told to vote early in Kentucky.
Thankfully, the clerk, who is very wise, told her to vote on election day or register in Ohio.
I really think that the left is trying to disrupt, discredit and then destroy our electoral process in this nation. Why? Well, if they accomplish these things, then they can reform it, which in leftspeak means they can control it.
They are hostile to electronic voting machines and the vendors who run them. They want the federal government to supply the machines, count the votes, and manage the elections.
A lot of these people are community organizers.
In Kentucky, they've recently scrapped electronic voting machines for optical scan ballots. It's a giant step backward for fair election in a state that has a dark history of ballot stuffing, election fraud, and election day intimidation. Unfortunately, it was a Republican secretary of state who was flim-flammed by this movement.
I really think they need to check the constitutionality of what's going on in Ohio. In Kentucky, we've always been under the impression that the presidential election is to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
I think that we all agree
October 2, 2008 - 09:21 ET by SeashellI think that we all agree that this is indeed unfair and truly absurd. We can try to fight it, but do you really think that Ohio will disregard all these absentee ballots? Probably not. So we have to fight back. One thing I think we can do since these people seem to be hitting colleges and places where young voters are prey, we should go to places like assisted living homes where older people reside, BUT DO IT FOR THE RIGHT REASON!! Believe me, my parents were in one years ago and people there would have loved to vote but just didn't feel like getting out or didn't ask for an absentee ballot in time or just forgot about it all together. It would be doing a real service for these folks while the dems prey on college students fully capable of voting on their own.
The Obama campaign is spun up to take advantage of this
October 2, 2008 - 09:58 ET by c5thenThey have busses and van pools and all sorts of volunteers on the college capuses to get non-resident students to the municipal buildings, have them register and then cast an absentee ballot.
This is going to be the election with the most amount of voter fraud in our lifeitmes.
I agree C5 - there was a lot of it in 2004 also
October 2, 2008 - 10:06 ET by Dee Bunkjust not enough to steal the election thankfully. This time it may be enough if McCain supporters don't turn out in droves.
I don't understand one
October 2, 2008 - 10:04 ET by MazziI don't understand one thing. These voters have more than a month in advance to register and vote. It takes less than a month to register a voter. So how can this be justified? Why can't these people register and have the registration mailed to them like everyone else? And, then, if they are unable to be in state on election day, do an absentee ballot?
This makes me physically sick. The foxes are not only guarding the henhouse, they are devouring the chickens right in front of our eyes.
"I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go." ~ Barrack Hussein Obama ~
"You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.... I'm not joking." ~ Sen. Joe Biden
Wait! Is there anything we
October 2, 2008 - 10:18 ET by MazziWait! Is there anything we can do? Does anyone think that an email/phone onslaught to our representatives would help? Does anyone know of any individual, group or organization that has not just tucked their tails between their legs and accepted this?
This is a slap in the face to democracy. If any other country did it, our MSM would be reporting it like mad. Zimbabwe just went through a fraudulent vote, and the MSM grabbed it and ran. And here, right under their noses, we have frauds, just as blatant, occurring, and barely a peep!
"I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go." ~ Barrack Hussein Obama ~
"You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.... I'm not joking." ~ Sen. Joe Biden
Easy to solve the problem
October 2, 2008 - 10:43 ET by well9910 years mandatory sentence for voter fraud.5000 reward for finding anyone guilty of voter fraud.There will be some busy clerks.
a lagniappe
October 2, 2008 - 10:41 ET by mom_roxCan you imagine the outcry if the newly registered voters were told, "Thank you, and for those of you who did not sign up with the Selective Service, they now know how to reach you."
regarding Barack Obama's tax plan - I never received a job from a poor person.
Selective Service -- I think not
October 2, 2008 - 10:45 ET by ThisnThatUnfortunately, 75% of them will likely be able to say "Oh year? They'll find someone at that address, I'm sure, but not me".
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
"where is the rest of the
October 2, 2008 - 10:43 ET by ThisnThat"where is the rest of the MSM on reporting about this abuse of the election system?"
They're standing in line, registering and voting early.
___________________________________
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
It seems that there is no
October 2, 2008 - 10:49 ET by MazziIt seems that there is no one trying to stop this now. The official OH GOP position seems to be now that the ruling has been made, they need to do the same thing - try to get as many GOP voters out there as possible.
I swear it crossed my mind to make the 8 hour drive to OH and register myself, but no matter what, I cannot do that. I still have to face my own conscience when I wake up in the morning, and that's more important than trying to "even up" the election by cheating myself.
I am still looking to see if there are any organized groups who are getting GOP voters (seniors and legitimates) out to vote. I might make the drive to help out there.
"I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go." ~ Barrack Hussein Obama ~
"You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.... I'm not joking." ~ Sen. Joe Biden
You must understand...
October 2, 2008 - 11:39 ET by m4ster chief...that most Democrats are so morally compromised that that they can rationalize any action, any behavior, in order to accomplish their goals. People who can weasel their way around the fact that abortion is baby-killing, and actually find it acceptable...those people can twist and turn their personal values and morals to accept ideas and behaviors that horrify us normal people.
That is why they can vote three, four, five times...try to register illegals, drunks, homeless...ends justify the means. And they can sleep at night after doing this...that's what puzzles me.
Has Noel Shepard Found Out?
October 2, 2008 - 12:08 ET by BW222Lou Dobbs is the most honest person in journalism.
Has Noel Shepard figured that out yet?
BW222
In terms of honesty,
October 2, 2008 - 12:24 ET by BuffNBoneIn terms of honesty, probably not in ALL journalism but he and Beck are clear leaders in the area for CNN.
BTW, accurate and objective should be the standard for journalists. At least that's what their code of ethics implies http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp
"Fighters are fun but bombers make policy"
The most frightening thing of all....
October 2, 2008 - 23:05 ET by Scout FinchObama's a big "community organizer" who is knowledgeable about any means to "win" an election.
Voter fraud is #1 on their list of means to an end.
Democrats pitch for get-out-the-vote....
October 2, 2008 - 23:28 ET by cest moi"...BRING OUT YER DEAD! BRING OUT YER DEAD"!
Voter Fraud in Ohio
October 3, 2008 - 03:49 ET by thericoDwayne P. Theriot
Has anyone botherd to check and see if ACORN is anywhere near these voting places in Ohio?
ACORN is the one promoting
October 9, 2008 - 08:26 ET by MiamianACORN is the one promoting all of this. They are currently being investigated in Cuyahoga County on voter fraud.
This fraud will forever taint an Obama Presidency if he wins.