Republican Smoke Screen

Republicans are trumpeting the allegations against ACORN to anyone that is willing to listen. McCain even gave the issue a plug in the final debate. What exactly is the issue with ACORN and are they responsible for voter fraud as McCain claims?


ACORN is a large grassroots organization that registers mainly low-income citizens to vote. In this election cycle ACORN did turn in some bad registration forms, however it is not likely that "voter-fraud" was the motive. There are many other reasons behind the submission of inaccurate registration forms. One reason is that some states require all voter registration forms to be turned in regardless of their accuracy, which is to be verified later by non-partisan state organizations. So even if someone were to leave a form incomplete or falsify their information, it is not for the ACORN employee who registered them to decide.

Given most state requirements, the most likely reason bad forms were submitted is that ACORN employees were attempting to meet a certain quota and embellished their results by throwing in fraudulent forms. Granted that this was wrong to do, these forms had no chance at actually giving any votes to a candidate. It was sure to be proven that these names and addresses were fake, they only served to help employees meet form quotas and thus get more money for their work. Check out ACORN's website for an in depth explanation from the source.

For every complaint the Republicans are making of ACORN, there are at least ten claims that Democrats could be hammering in response. Because low-income voters lean Democrat, Republicans can and do use many low-income based schemes to peel away voters from the Democratic base. One of the newest tactics being used this year in predominantly Democratic districts like Marion County, Indiana is refuting voter eligibility for those whose houses have been forclosed (by challenging their place of residence on their voter registration). Another dirty but sadly legal tactic is being used in predominantly black neighborhoods like Philadelphia's North and West sides. Flyers and rumers are being circulating anonymously that voters who have unpaid parking tickets will be arrested on site at polling facilities (in an attempt to discourage participation on November 4th by overwhelmingly Democratic black voters in Pennsylvania).

These voting fraud scandals are yet another testament to the superior organization and strategy of the GOP in relation to the Democrats. On an issue that they are most vulnerable on, the Republicans have turned the tables against the Democrats through a minor incidence that in this case it involves ACORN. The countless borderline illegal tactics that the Republicans are using all over the country are what Democrats need to publicize and complain about for the rest of October. The efforts to turn away and discourage Democratic voters from showing up on November 4th cannot be seen in poles but could have a serious effect on swing state election results. This is fair warning to all those glass-is-half-full liberals who think Obama will win in a landslide just becuase recent polls put him well in the lead. Polls are speculation, and no one is more aware of that fact than the Republican Party.