Skip to comments.
Firm providing military absentee ballots for '04 sold to Saudis
Newsday ^
| 2/27/03
| Mark Harrington
Posted on 03/04/2003 10:04:38 AM PST by FastNBulbous
Election.com Sold To Group Tied To Saudi Nationals
By Mark Harrington
Staff Writer
February 27, 2003
Election.com, a struggling Garden City start-up scheduled to provide online absentee ballots for U.S. military personnel in the 2004 federal election, has quietly sold controlling power to an investment group with ties to unnamed Saudi nationals, according to company correspondence.
In a letter sent to a select group of well-heeled Election.com investors Jan. 21, the online voting and voter registration company disclosed that the investment group Osan Ltd. paid $1.2 million to acquire 20 million preferred shares to control 51.6 percent of the voting power.
In a Newsday interview in October, Charles Smith, a representative of Osan who sits on Election.com's board, declined to name the Saudi Arabian investors with a stake in the company, other than to say they were "passive and part of a larger group that included Americans and Europeans. Smith didn't return phone calls Wednesday.
A federal law enforcement official who follows election issues said he was surprised to hear about the ownership of Election.com, which is one of several contractors working on the online Federal Voting Assistance Program, primarily for overseas military personnel.
Concerns about the ownership stake were first raised following the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Smith at the time accused critics of unfairly focusing on the issue because the terrorists were Saudi.
Several shareholders of the company said they were surprised by the recent buyout and have asked for securities regulators to investigate.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: absentee; elections; jihadinamerica; military; saudiarabia; saudis; votefraud; weaselslist
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-33 last
To: Republic
I agree. Got any ideas? This is just beyond retardo.
To: M. Thatcher
I emailed the link to congressman Peter King's office, he is from that area of Long Island where this firm is located.
To: 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub
Have you seen this?
23
posted on
03/04/2003 6:38:18 PM PST
by
getgoing
To: Blood of Tyrants
"Good Lord, the Saudis are going to own controlling interest in a company that provides absentee ballots to U.S. troops! Now,
how effed up is that?!"
Don't worry about it! After all we are getting electronic voting. What else matters?(Sarcasim)
24
posted on
03/04/2003 8:35:33 PM PST
by
Revel
To: supercat; Shermy
Bump
25
posted on
03/04/2003 8:43:31 PM PST
by
Revel
To: FastNBulbous
outrageous bump
To: Blood of Tyrants
Good Lord, the Saudis are going to own controlling interest in a company that provides absentee ballots to U.S. troops! Now, how effed up is that?! Yes, the (Saudi-enhanced) military results for 2004 will be most interesting indeed.
I predict: Hillary 95% Bush 5%
To: montag813
Another outrageous bump.
28
posted on
03/04/2003 10:23:13 PM PST
by
Slip18
To: ALOHA RONNIE
Thanks for the heads up!
To: Blood of Tyrants; Budge; AuntB; Jeff Head; Fred Mertz; Judicial Watch
Good Lord, the Saudis are going to own controlling interest in a company that provides absentee ballots to U.S. troops! Now, how effed up is that?!This needs to be looked into and stopped.
30
posted on
03/05/2003 11:17:56 AM PST
by
Republic
(tommy daschle is a WEASEL OF MASS DISTORTION (tractorman)-so truthful, it almost HURTS!)
To: Republic
This needs to be squashed like an ugly bug.
How's our precious Republic today???? Well, I hope!
31
posted on
03/05/2003 5:05:58 PM PST
by
AuntB
(SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!)
To: AuntB
I am well, AuntB. I just feel blessed. Thanks. And you know I'm right here. How's by you? What's the latest?
This article bothers me. There is something so wrong with any foreign company having a stake in American ballot procedures. I object. BIG TIME!
32
posted on
03/05/2003 6:54:05 PM PST
by
Republic
(tommy daschle is a WEASEL OF MASS DISTORTION (tractorman)-so truthful, it almost HURTS!)
To: Republic
20 years ago my sister was an accountant for some Italians who had purchased farmland near Fresno. If we had any idea how much of our "real estate" is owned by foreign countries....well we might not feel so blessed!! You be good, darlin'!
33
posted on
03/05/2003 7:21:48 PM PST
by
AuntB
(THE UN HAS BREACHED IT'S OWN RESOLUTION!!)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-33 last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson