Three charged in voting fraud (Up to 5 years and $250,000 fine)

The Kansas City Star ^ | OCT. 21,2004

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Posted on Thu, Oct. 21, 2004

Three charged in voting fraud

By GREGORY S. REEVES

The Kansas City Star

U.S. Attorneys Todd Graves of Western Missouri and Eric Melgren of Kansas announced federal vote-fraud charges today against three Kansas City area residents:

• James D. Scherzer, 68, an attorney, who acknowledged in an interview with The Kansas City Star last month that he cast ballots in Kansas City and Kansas City, Kan., in four elections since August 2000.

• Lorraine Goodrich, 39, a Johnson County businesswoman who told The Star she crossed the state line to vote in Kansas City for Bartle Hall improvements in 2002.

• Leslie McIntosh, 67, a retired railroad worker and owner of a barber shop/pool hall, who told The Star he owned property in Kansas City and Kansas City, Kan., and therefore had the right to vote in both places.

The three were charged under federal voting-rights enforcement laws with providing false information about their residences. The offense is punishable by up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

McIntosh was charged in Kansas because he was a Missouri resident who registered to vote illegally in Kansas, Melgren said. Scherzer and Goodrich were charged in Missouri because they lived in Kansas, but voted illegally in Missouri, Graves said.

“Election fraud and voting rights abuses dilute the worth of votes honestly cast,” Melgren said. He urged anyone who sees possible vote fraud to report it.

Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, who also appeared at today's news conference, said election officials face a challenge in preventing fraud without making security so tight it hampers voting.

“We have to make sure we find that accurate balance,” Thornburgh said.

The FBI investigated the three who were charged after The Star uncovered several hundred cases of apparent double-voting in an analysis of Missouri and Kansas statewide voter registration databases.

Many of those cases, however, turned out to be errors in the state databases. The rest — about 50 cases — occurred in St. Louis, where election officials are still examining those records at the newspaper's request.

Also appearing at today's news conference were Attorney General Phill Kline, and election commissioners Pat Rahija of Wyandotte County and Connie Schmidt of Johnson County.

For more on this story read tomorrow's Star.

To reach Gregory S. Reeves, call (816)234-4366 or send e-mail to greeves@kcstar.com

[GoLightly]

in chicago it is dead people electing a democrat. in 2000 in st louis, it looks more and more like it was democrats electing a dead person.

LOL

[smokinleroy]

Every polling place needs to have large, conspicuous, non-political signs warning of fines or imprisonment for illegal voting of any kind! Wish I lived in a swing state right now (though not permanently).

SL/TX

[GoLightly]

I actually understand this guys logic, cuz I'll tell ya, I've been tempted. No, I have never done it & I was never tempted to double vote for any office.

When you're paying ten times the property taxes to a district you do not live in, as you do to the one you live in, it would be nice to have a vote about the way that district is run. I thought taxation without representation was one of those things we had a revolution about, but we still have it.

[GoLightly]

Yes, I'd like to throw a tea party too.

[mlocher]

property taxes and public schools are not exactly my favorite topics either.

[GoLightly]

I can't say my vote would change anything, but I'd feel less used & angry about paying it if they'd let me vote.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Go to jail? That's where they're voting from.

BWAAAAHAAAAHAAAA!!!!

[mlocher]

i have often wondered how the gov't would run if you got one vote for every dollar you paid in taxes.

[not2worry]

Any kind of Fraud is a crime.

The article indicates they were "charged" with fraud.

IMHO, I hope the authorities enforced every right available to them for Vote Fraud.

These three (and any other found committing Voter Fraud) should be handcuffed, do the perp walk, spend time in a cell and post substantial bond to be released.

BTW, they should also be banned from ever voting again in an election.

Just My Opinion!

[GoLightly]

Using your concept, I wonder how many super-wealthy leaders we'd go through before our armed forces refused to take any orders, less you wanna eliminate any voluntary overpayment.

[SendShaqtoIraq]

How many soldiers in Iraq do not own property? You think they shouldn't be allowed to vote?

[GoLightly]

You laugh...

http://www.prisontalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-77154.html

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/medina/1096537172218231.xml

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6160154/site/newsweek/

http://www.righttovote.org/upload/resources/168_UFile_pub5053.pdf

There are more if look for them.

[calenel]

Leslie McIntosh, 67, a retired railroad worker and owner of a barber shop/pool hall, who told The Star he owned property in Kansas City and Kansas City, Kan., and therefore had the right to vote in both places.

Oh, good. Then I get to vote in AZ, CA, CO, NH, OR, TX & WY! And some of those are swing states!

[stumpy]

I hope they get both the maximum time and the maximum fine. No good time and no parole.

[Libloather]

Three RATS down the drain. NEXT!

[Mudboy Slim]

Throw the book at them...Cheaters Must Be Prosecuted!!

Slimey anti-American ba$+ards...MUD

[Antoninus]

Anyone with a video camera should be out on election day looking for funny business. Catch one of these creeps on film voting in multiple locations and you could cause them a world of trouble. They deserve nothing less.

The greatest service we could perform for our country and our men and women in uniform is to guard the election process. Don't let the enemies of America cheat their way to victory!

[ETERNAL WARMING]

This nonsense has to stop. I hope the Judges will throw the book at 'em. Voter fraud is out of control.

[backhoe]

Click the picture & goto "last" for the latest on Vote Fraud:

...and a note from your compiler of links- near the "last" are links about ACORN, Project Vote, PIGRIM, and other far-Left pressure groups who hide under the "activist" label while subverting representative government.

These nasty characters demean and dilute the value of everyone's vote.

The plan, besides their hope of throwing the election to sKerry, is to so thoroughly corrupt the election results that Mr. Bush will either not be taken seriously, or open to impeachment.

You had better take this stuff seriously- it is a dagger aimed at the heart of the Republic.

[John Robinson]

I can see how, given a sufficient number of bits, these cards could be made to be cryptographically secure. Say, 4,096 random bits of data, each card unique to some unfathomable number. Unhackable.

But they wouldn't be physically secure. Just a couple months ago we had a rash of mailbox robberies in the neighborhood. If the cards were sent through the mail (most likely), a thief could easily steal them for fraud and profit. I can imagine the election office would provide an option to reissue an unused card if theft was suspected, but how many people--pressured in front of Food Mart to register--would bother to seek reissue, if they even realize the card was stolen.

Alternatively, we could have some type of national I.D. Oh, big brother! But we already have one: your tax payer id (or tax prayer LOL!) Just cast your ballot along with your taxes (assuming all other voter conditions are met.)