Posted on 10/31/2002 8:22:53 AM PST by Michael.SF.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - As people take a second look at the furor over voting fraud in South Dakota, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. accused Republicans of attempting to suppress voting by American Indians.
One person has been arrested for turning in invalid voter registration cards and another was fired as a contract employee for the Democratic Party for turning in invalid absentee ballot applications. The arrested person was not associated with either political party.
Accounts vary as to how large or how widespread the alleged voter fraud is in South Dakota, but most of the investigation done by the FBI is on or near counties where Indian reservations are located.
The state Republican Party Chairman Joe Rosenthal has labeled the two known criminal cases as massive voter fraud. The state’s Republican Attorney General, Mark Barnett said there was no massive voter fraud. Some 400 registration cards and absentee ballot applications were under scrutiny. The state, according to county auditors, has in excess of 16,700 new registered voters, more than during any other election.
Republican Secretary of State Joyce Hazeltine said that the county auditors performed their duties properly and the system is intact. She added that so far indications were that the election was not at risk, and she also implied that there was no massive voter fraud.
Senator Tim Johnson, D-S.D. and Rep. John Thune, R-S.D. are deadlocked for Johnson’s senate seat. Democrats allege that Republicans have fed the media misleading information concerning the extent of the alleged voter fraud on and near Indian reservations.
"In my state of South Dakota, we are now seeing a concerted Republican effort to make allegations and launch initiatives intended to suppress Native American voting. These efforts appear to be motivated more by partisan politics than a concern with clean elections," Daschle said.
At some locations where Senator Johnson has appeared for campaign meetings protestors carried signs that said, "Voter Fraud is a Felony."
Some of the hype has been traced to Sioux Falls attorney John Lauck who works for the Thune campaign. Lauck is listed as chairman of the Lawyers for Thune campaign. He has a biography on the Republican National Lawyers Association website. Public records have shown that Lauck was paid travel money by the Republican Party to scour the offices of the County Auditors to find questionable American Indian registration cards and applications and then distribute them to the news media.
Of the 16,700 new voter registrations turned into county auditors only 400 have been questioned.
"The right to vote is one of the hallmarks of our democracy. I am deeply disturbed by the concerted Republican effort to make allegations and launch initiatives intended to suppress Native American voting. These efforts appear to be motivated more by partisan politics than a concern with clean elections, and all South Dakotans know that is wrong," Daschle said. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Excerpt) Read more at IndianCountry.com ...
What leftist BS this is!!
DWG
It really is getting to be so obvious that ALL the accusations they make are the THINGS THEY DO!!!!!
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