Arrests Sought in (WI) Election Fraud

JSOnline ^ | May 11, 2005 | Derrick Nunnaly

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Two arrest warrants were issued Wednesday alleging election fraud by two voter-registration workers employed last year to sign up new voters.

According to warrants filed by the Milwaukee County district attorney's office, Urelene Lilly, 48, and Marcus L. Lewis, 23, both admitted to authorities that they filled out multiple voter-registration cards using fictitious information to earn money from Project Vote, which paid workers such as them $40 per day plus $1.75 for each registration above the daily quota of 24 new voters.

Project Vote registered about 40,800 names in Milwaukee County alone, according to a national spokesman.

District Attorney E. Michael McCann would not say when or if more information on other allegations of voter fraud might be available.

The warrant filed for Lilly says she was addicted to crack cocaine when the alleged fraud happened, and that she handed in "approximately 75 fraudulent voter registration cards," using names taken from the phone book, made-up birthdates and Social Security numbers, then had her 15-year-old daughter sign each card. She turned in no valid registrations, the warrant says, and is charged in connection with nine registrations for people who didn't vote in the November presidential election.

Lewis' warrant says he was fired by Project Vote for submitting a registration card in the name of a dead person, but before he did that, he allegedly turned in duplicate cards for the same voter on "numerous" occasions. He admitted turning in multiple entries for some family members, the warrant says.

Lilly and Lewis were charged with five felonies each: three counts of forgery, one count of election fraud and one count of misconduct in public office, because they had been sworn in as deputy voter registrars for the registration effort. If convicted as charged, each could face a maximum possible sentence of 25 years in prison.

The charges came a day after McCann and U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic announced that their probe into election irregularities in the city of Milwaukee had turned up clear evidence of voter fraud.

The probe, launched in January after reports by the Journal Sentinel detailed widespread election problems, found more than 200 felons who illegally voted in the city, while still on probation or parole, and at least another 100 cases in which people voted twice, or used fake names, false addresses or the names of dead people to vote.

Investigators also said officials had been unable to eliminate a 7,000-vote gap cited by the newspaper, in which more ballots were counted than people who had been recorded as voting. City officials had resolved some of the questions, but investigators said a gap of about 4,600 remains.

Biskupic and McCann also said they had found about 65 false names that had been submitted by deputy registrars, such as the two charged Wednesday.

Additional charges are expected to be filed. Prosecutors have warned, however, that the cases may be hard to prove because the city records are so sloppy.

The issue of fraudulent registrations came up even before the Nov. 2 election, as various groups made major pushes to get likely supporters signed up to vote.

Project Vote is a national non-profit group headed by the former head of the Ohio Democratic Party. It was one of several groups that ran large-scale registration drives in Wisconsin, a key battleground state.

"We are proud of what we did, and we think we caught virtually all the cards that may have been allegedly created by these people," said Brian Mellor, a national coordinator for Project Vote.

In October, the Journal Sentinel reported that two of Project Vote's workers in Milwaukee were felons on probation, which makes it illegal for them to vote and, thus, to register voters. A week later, before the Nov. 2 election, Racine County officials issued felony charges against two Project Vote workers on allegations of falsifying registration cards.

The charges are similar to those filed Wednesday by McCann.

In the Racine case, charges were filed against Robert Marquise Blakely, 24, and Damien D. Jones, 25, both of Milwaukee. Both men pleaded not guilty.

Jones had been fired as the group's leader for Racine and Kenosha counties after the Racine clerk's office raised questions about registration cards he had submitted. As in the Milwaukee cases, the pay for the two was based, in part, on how many signatures they submitted.

Earlier this year, Gov. Jim Doyle called for a state law that would bar groups from paying registration workers on a per-signature basis, or basing pay on meeting a signature quota. That proposal, part of a broader reform package, has not been acted on by the state Legislature.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"The issue of fraudulent registrations came up even before the Nov. 2 election, as various groups made major pushes to get likely supporters signed up to vote." (Read: DEMOCRATS in this state!)

Cheaters! I know in my heart that Wisconsin is more Red than Blue. Look at the County-by-County election map and it's obvious! In my family of 25+ adult, eligible voters we have ONE Democrat.

Wisconsin for Kerry? No way! (I'll shuddup now...)

http://www.projectvote.org/

[af_vet_1981]

Additional charges are expected to be filed. Prosecutors have warned, however, that the cases may be hard to prove because the city records are so sloppy.

They deserve a fast hanging and a fair trial later on.

[Sgt_Schultze]

It's a good thing BOTH of the guilty democrat election cheaters have been nabbed. The system is safe again.

[billndin]

Thanks for this. Since Bush lost Wisconsin by only 11,384 out of nearly three million votes cast, it's obvious the Democrat fraud tipped Wisconsin's electoral votes to the Democrat candidate, John Fraud Kerry. The GOP needs to work harder to end this fraud in 08.

[Jim Robinson]

[WoodstockCat]

Geee..you mean Bush might have really won Wis-CAAN-sin if all of the legal votes were counted? ...see my suprise face?....

[guinnessman]

When I was a poll watcher in Kenosha County, somebody was busing all these college students to the polling place. They all were wearing these baseball caps that said "Vote" on them. Some of them told me that these caps were handed out to them for free by the people who bused them to the polls.

I wonder if that was Project Vote?

[Rocketwolf68]

I'm from Wisconsin and I can tell you that if you remove Madison and half of Milwaukee it's completely RED!!!


Obvious Democrat Vote-fraud!!!!!!

[Iowa Granny]

ping

[Once-Ler]

Look at the County-by-County election map and it's obvious!

The county by county election maps do not show the huge number of mentally ill bingo players and homeless smokers in Milwuakee County.

In my family of 25+ adult, eligible voters we have ONE Democrat.

There are a lot of rats in my family. My brother and I are the black sheep. My mother used to tell her siblings I was a piano player in a whore house because she was too embarassed to tell them I worked for the Republican Party of WI. Most of my relatives live in Stevens Point and Portage. That's Dave Obey country. I hate Obey but I'd prefer him over Baldwin my lesbian congressman in Madison. Wisconsin hasn't voted for a Republican President since 1988. Every election my hopes are dashed. I sure do miss Governor Thompson.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Wisconsin hasn't voted for a Republican President since 1988. Every election my hopes are dashed. I sure do miss Governor Thompson."

You and me, both! Keep the faith, Baby. 2006 is not that far away and the tide is turning in our favor, just a little bit, what with all the schenanigans going on in our own State House...a drunk AG, drunk Senators & other Congress Critters, a sell-out rat Governor in the pockets of lawyers and casino owners, etc.