ACORN Fights Back Against Voter Suppression

Written by Elisabeth on October 29, 2008

As reported on http://www.acorn.org/, ACORN Releases 30-Second Ad, Announces Lawsuits

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Oct. 29, ACORN released its first-ever 30-second ad on voter suppression, calling on Sen. John McCain to put an end to these tactics.  ACORN also announced lawsuits intended to combat a series of attempts at voter suppression.

In the ad, ACORN highlighted widespread voter suppression attacks and called on the public to tell McCain, "Not this time."

At a press conference announcing the ad, ACORN Executive Director Steve Kest echoed this sentiment.

"Senator McCain needs to instruct his operatives and supporters to cease and desist. Nothing is more important to the fabric of our democracy than protecting the rights of American voters. Senator McCain should instead join us in trying to make it easier for voters to exercise their rights, by calling for measures such as extending early voting hours, to facilitate the greatest possible participation in this historic election."

A copy of the ad can be found on YouTube at http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs20Lxb6RqQ.

ACORN also announced a number of lawsuits aimed at combating voter suppression attempts around the country.

In New Mexico, two lawsuits have been brought against Justine Fox-Young; Al Romero, a private investigator; and John/Jane Does of the Republican Party of New Mexico. One lawsuit, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, was filed by two validly registered Latino voters who have suffered harassment and intimidation by Al Romero, an investigator hired by Pat Rogers. Pat Rogers is an attorney for the Republican Party of New Mexico with a well-documented history of voter suppression efforts dating back over 4 years.

A second, class action lawsuit, was filed with the Second Judicial District Court, County Bernalillo, State of New Mexico.  The class action lawsuit centers around the use of confidential information by Al Romero in efforts of voter intimidation.

The Republican Party and its operatives have employed an astonishing variety of voter suppression and intimidation strategies in recent weeks:

• In Philadelphia, fliers were distributed in a predominantly African American neighborhood which suggested that people with legal troubles or unpaid traffic violations will be arrested by undercover cops when they show up to vote.
• In Hamilton County, Ohio, Prosecutor Joe Deters - who is also the local chair of the McCain-Palin campaign - requested via subpoena personal information for 40% of voters who participated in same-day registration.
• In California, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC and the California Republican Party, hired Lincoln Strategy in June for the purpose of 'registering voters.' The managing partner of Lincoln Strategy, Nathan Sproul, is a renowned GOP operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for trying to suppress Democratic voter turnout.
• In Montgomery County, Virginia, a registrar issued a memo giving incorrect and intimidating information to students at Virginia Tech University about the consequences of registering to vote, including possible loss of financial aid and tax dependence status.
• In Ontario, California, the owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters was arrested on suspicion of voter registration fraud after dozens of voters reported that the firm tricked them into registering with the GOP by asking them to sign a petition they believed to be aimed at toughening penalties against child molesters.

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