South Dakota Voter Fraud Exposed!

Newsmax.com ^

[nospinzone]

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 South Dakota Poll Workers Expose Democrats' Election Theft

The party of vote fraud is at it again: Democrats perpetrated "serious irregularities" in South Dakota's scandal-plagued U.S. Senate election last month, United Press International revealed today.

Republican poll watchers and workers witnessed sleaze aplenty:

Three people being offered money for voting for incumbent Democrat Sen. Tim Johnson, who supposedly eked out a 528-vote victory.

Voters giving two or three names to election personnel before finding a name that matched on the voter rolls, which they would use to cast their ballot.

Democrat operatives organizing voter rides from inside the polling place. The Republican Senate candidate, U.S. Rep. John Thune, quickly caved in after the Nov. 5 election. Thune's decision does not mean the fraud has gone away, a party spokesman told UPI.

"Other entities are looking into the possibility of voter fraud," said the Republican National Committee's Jim Dyke. "The RNC is very interested in investigating fraud and putting a stop to it if they find it."

Johnson's campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, denied wrongdoing and claimed the campaign was conducted honestly.

South Dakota's incoming secretary of state, Chris Nelson, a Republican, said he wasn't aware of any investigation into illegalities.

"If somebody's got evidence of such they need to file a complaint with law enforcement," he said after UPI outlined the allegations.

After Thune refused to seek a recount, conservatives criticized the decision because voters had been deprived of their franchise. "Some Republicans say privately they believe Thune did not pursue the matter because he feared the political ramifications would prevent him from challenging Tom Daschle in 2004 should the Democrats' Senate leader seek re-election," UPI reported.

$10 a vote

Key to Johnson's alleged victory was Democrat fraud on Indian reservations. Chicago and other major cities aren't the only places where Democrat criminals "register" dead people to "vote."

Todd County, home to Rosebud Indian Reservation, was a center of vote fraud.

"You know what the going rate was around here? Ten bucks," said Ed Assman, a retired state highway patrol lieutenant, who served as a Republican poll watcher at the Parmalee Precinct in Todd County. "There were several affidavits signed by Natives who either took money or were offered the money."

UPI obtained copies of affidavits taken by the Republicans from two women and one man, all American Indians, who said: "I was promised $10 if I would go vote. I was given a ride to the polls in a van with Tim Johnson for Senate signs in the window. The name of the van driver was Terry. After I voted, the van took me back from the polling place. When Terry dropped me off, he offered me $10 for voting."

It is a Class 2 misdemeanor in South Dakota for any person to pay money to induce a voter to vote. Asked whether there was any scenario under which a payment would be acceptable, Nelson, the incoming secretary of state, said: "No. Not if $10 was in exchange for voting."

Money Is 'Not an Object' for Democrat Crooks

Assman said he saw cash exchanging hands between a Democrat poll watcher and the driver of a van used to transport Johnson's supporters to the polls.

"Right in front of me at one point," he said. "I had another gentleman there with me, and he called it to their attention, that it was inappropriate. I said to [a Democrat poll watcher], 'Boy you're spending a lot of money today,' in reference to the vans. There must've been 50 vans on the reservation. He said money was not an object, that they had unlimited funds."

UPI outlined the allegation to Hildebrand, manager of Johnson's campaign, who said: "I want the name of the van driver alleged to have paid people to vote. And I won't respond to the charge until I see an affidavit from him saying he did it. Three people claiming to have been paid isn't good enough for me to comment."

Republicans also reported at least 30 incidents where a name given by a potential voter could not be located on the voter registration list. The poll watchers say these people were then asked if they might be registered under another name. A search for a second or third name would take place until a match allowing the person to vote could be found.

South Dakota election law says anyone impersonating a registered voter is guilty of a felony.

Similar incidents of voter fraud have been reported in Shannon County, home of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and many sources say it was "much worse" there, UPI noted.

The issue now: Will gutless Republicans whimper quietly, as usual, or finally do something about Democrat election thieves?

[xJones]

Will gutless Republicans whimper quietly, as usual, or finally do something about Democrat election thieves?

Unfortunately, that's the big question. With Clinton and his sidekick Reno out of office though, maybe some people will stand up.

[buffyt]

FIVE people got caught trying to vote a second time in Florida and may go to prison for five years. One had just voted the day before and claimed he forgot. That is how I heard it on the radio news. No telling what the true details are. I think there is massage double voting across the country. People registered to vote in two states or more, who do, and they don't punch "R".

[Fish out of Water]

bump

[goose1]

shocked just shocked this could be happening.

[Digger]

Will gutless Republicans whimper quietly, as usual, or finally do something about Democrat election thieves?

Yes, it is business as usual in the "Two-Party Cartel".

[EternalVigilance]

One of the UPI writers who wrote this piece, Dan Olmsted, came to FR in his search for materials for it:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/799985/posts?page=75#75

[danneskjold]

I think there is massage double voting across the country.

I'd double vote for a massage...

:)

[Earl B.]

"I want the name of the van driver alleged to have paid people to vote. And I won't respond to the charge until I see an affidavit from him saying he did it. Three people claiming to have been paid isn't good enough for me to comment."

That's priceless! Three sworn witnesses to the crime isn't good enough for him! Oh no! The only evidence he'll believe is a sworn confession from the van driver. What kind of baloney is that?

Or does he really mean: "I don't believe anything those good-for-nothin' redskins say. But if the white guy were to admit it - well, that'd be trouble."

But that can't be right - because everyone knows that only Republicans are racist.

[AndyTheBear]

Will gutless Republicans whimper quietly, as usual, or finally do something about Democrat election thieves?

Be patient! If the Pubbies say it like it really is, it might feel good, but it would be counter productive. They need to go after vote fraud without making it a Pubbie vs Rat issue. That means making it harder to get away with vote fraud, and prosecuting those that are caught. Let the sleaze of Rat vote fraud be left as an unspoken cloud over the heads of Rat pols who don't get with the program--something people will eventually notice on their own.

[Iconoclast2]

And just exactly what is being patient supposed to accomplish? If grass roots Republicans were patient, Gore would have "won" the recount in Florida and would be President now. Do you think that Ashcroft has a secret plan to end the vote fraud? Why couldn't such a plan have been developed between 2000 and 2002?

[alancarp]

Todd County, South Dakota Election Information

Total Active Registrations: 4884
Democrats: 3521
Republicans: 713
Libertarian: 4
Other: 646
Inactive Registrations: 388

Todd County Population (2001 est): 9269
Percentage Native Americans: 85.6%
Percentage over 18: 56% (approx. 5191)
Percentage of eligible persons registered to vote: 94.0% (approx. 4880)

2002 US Senate Election Results:
Votes for THUNE (R): 464
Votes for JOHNSON (D): 2027 (80.8%)
Votes for EVANS (L): 17
Total votes: 2508

Recent Election Turnouts in Todd County:

2002: 51.78% (2508 votes)
2000: 39.41% (1546 votes)
1998: 38.48% (1493 votes)
1996: 49.80% (1991 votes)
1994: 47.10% (1456 votes)
1992: 47.79% (1630 votes)

Voter Registration by Party and by Year:

--------- total / Dem / Rep / Lib / Other
2002: 4884 / 3521 / 713 / 4 / 646
2000: 3923 / 2464 / 776 / 3 / 680
1998: 3880 / 2462 / 771 / 2 / 645
1996: 4001 / 2548 / 811 / 3 / 639
1994: 3091 / 2044 / 663 / 0 / 384
1992: 3411 / 2301 / 727 / 0 / 383

There are some definite oddities about the 2002 election turnout and registration changes over the 2000 general election. Data obtained from the US Census bureau and for the South Dakota Official elections information web site.

[AndyTheBear]

And just exactly what is being patient supposed to accomplish?

It seems that Bush is doing a good job on a lot of things (other then immigration), and one of the things I like about the man is he has a displined political approach which allows his enemies to hang themselves while treating them fairly but firmly. I do not think I have ever had this much patience and I find it admirable.

Although I agree that some situations call for being impatient, like the 2000 Florida election (which caused me to get out and protest for the first time in my life), I am suggesting that the Pubbie politicians need to implement a persistant, methodical plan to shut down as much voter fraud as possible--while patiently pretending it is not a GOP vs Rat issue--the irorny is that the Rats will be forced to pretend it is not a partisan issue as well (or admit they want voter fraud) and with the GOP majority will have to go along for apperence sake.