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Days before Phil LeVota was to be named as Chairman of the Democratic Party, anonymous sources called the KC Star to report voting irregularities. The Star headline was “Democrat Official caught voting twice in Missouri: Too many Votes raise question of fraud.” This story was a misleading article attempting to smear Phil LeVota who is an outstanding member of this community and here is the rest of the story.

• FACT: LeVota’s voting activity raised no “question of fraud” with anyone but this brand new reporter encouraged by LeVota’s political foes.

• FACT: LeVota only voted one time in any one election. The headline misleads readers into thinking LeVota voted twice in the same election.

• FACT: The Missouri Secretary of State’s office reviewed the KC Star reporter’s “allegations” and concluded LeVota had done nothing wrong or illegal.

• FACT: The Jackson County Election Board did not find anything wrong with LeVota’s voting activity. The Election Board routinely forwards voter issues to the prosecutor and did not send this to the prosecutor. The Republican Director did not find any illegal activities with LeVota’s voting.

• FACT: After review by the Missouri Attorney General, LeVota was cleared of any wrong doing and found that none of his actions were of an illegal nature

• FACT: Some people have voted twice in the same election which is understandably illegal and is what LeVota himself prosecuted Hardiman for doing. It is ‘interesting’ for the reporter to quote a convicted felon to comment about the speculation that his prosecutor has done something wrong. It was downright unethical journalism to even compare the two situations. They are not similar at all.

• FACT: There is no fraud issue if you vote one time. The law allows anyone to register to vote from wherever they want. People with homes in different cities or states can pick one, but only one, place to register and to vote.

• FACT: US residents living abroad can vote absentee at a relative’s address EVEN THOUGH THEY DON’T LIVE THERE

• FACT: Homeless persons can list their address as the “12th Street Viaduct” and even though they don’t actually live there, they still get to vote on election day.

• FACT: College students can keep their voter registration at their parents’ home even though they no longer live there. Returning to vote at that address is perfectly legal.

• FACT: LeVota owned two homes and after immediately upon selling his Independence home, he actually followed the law to change his voter registration from the old address.

• FACT: On the change, LeVota’s registration address was not that of his home in Lee’s Summit but that of a relative’s address. LeVota won’t publicly comment on why that is. And frankly, it is no one’s business for why that is. Sources say that LeVota and his wife had gone through several unsuccessful in-vitro fertilizations to have a baby and it had taken a strain on their marriage and maybe they had separated. LeVota says he changed the registration address to where he would be living on election day. That’s exactly what the law states for a voter to do.

• FACT: LeVota seems to be being publicly embarrassed because he did exactly what he was supposed to and changed his registration on the date of his sale from the old address and, if separated from his wife, then changing it to where he was going to be living.

• FACT: Frankly, LeVota could have told the reporter about his private life, but in choosing to protect his family, the reporter speculated. It is commendable for LeVota to take the high road and disgusting for a naïve reporter to take the low ground for a political purpose.

Here’s what you did wrong, Phil. You actually thought reporters were honest and you tried to talk to them. (You were wrong). You actually thought that it was none of the KC Star’s business about what was going on in your private life. (You were right). LeVota is just a member of the Democratic Party that tries to help candidates and we wonder why good people don’t ever want to run for public office!

P.S.: January 2005: The members of the Jackson County Democratic Party unanimously elected Phil LeVota as their Chairman. People are saying LeVota has been the most effective Chair in many years.