I don't see how this qualifies as "news".
"Election and Voter Registration Fraud Investigation Underway"
With the election less than a month away, allegations of voter registration fraud erupt in the Mount Rushmore state. State Attorney General Mark Barnett says the feds, with assistance from the S.D. Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating possible voter fraud in several counties.
Federal authorities have taken the lead since these irregularities were found in counties within or near Indian reservations.
The Attorney General says the investigation involves reports of voter registration under names that don't exist, people who are dead, or not old enough to vote.
Barnett says the probe's centered on on one person who has ties to the Democratic party. State Democrats say that person is Becky Red Earth Villeda, who also goes by the name Maka Duta. She has since been fired. Villeda was under contract with the Democrats to register voters.
Party officials have agreed to cooperate with the investigation. They emphasize their zero tolerance approach to anything less than full compliance with South Dakota and federal election regulations.
Meantime, the Pennington County Sheriff's Office is investigating a separate allegation of voter forgeries. County Auditor Julie Pearson says, "we know there are two people that filled out cards for those that are deceased. The rest we believed may be copied out of a phone book or made up the addresses".
Pearson says there are close to 200 voter registration cards in Pennington County with irregularities. And she says the problem was uncovered by the West River coordinator for the Sioux Tribes Voter Education Project.
Clarence Skye is the executive director for the United Sioux Tribes of S.D. Development Corporation, which overseas that voter education project. He says project workers get paid more when they sign up more people to vote. Meanwhile, Pearson stresses this investigation should not have any effect on the November election."
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Story by: Lenka Gerrish"
In all the articles, it's striking how quotes from South Dakota Democrats belittle the magnitude of the problem, and spout platitudes about cooperating and abiding with law enforcement, and only one person responsible.
The democrats would have you believe Becky Red Earth Villeda,aka Maka Duta is the only problem. The Feds haven't been able to find her for questioning. Let's hope when Villeda, aka Maka Duta is found, she doesn't appreciate being made the fall guy, for what appears to be wide-spread democrat voter registration fraud. And why is she hiding? From local authorities and the FBI?
"Brian Drapeaux, a former aide to Tom Daschle is South Dakota's "Native American Vote Chair", in charge of voter registration, keenly interested in absentee voting. Democrat spokesmen haven't mentioned him.
We know this won't reach all the up to bite Tom Daschle. Like Harkin, he will claim ignorance, but Tom Daschle has got to be frantic that the other senate seat in his state might go republican. Just how far would Tom Daschle (or his loyal crew), go to keep President Bush from claiming another victory...and in his own backyard.