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| Election Special: S. Dakota dead people solidly Democrat... |
| 2002-10-16 |
| Federal officials confirm that a vote fraud investigation is unfolding on Indian reservations in South Dakota, home of one of the tightest U.S. Senate races in the nation. So far, the alleged fraud is said to have occurred on the Cheyenne River Reservation and the Pine River Reservation, and an investigation has been ongoing in six counties, including Dewey, Ziebach and Fall River. The FBI has uncovered the registration of minors, dead people, and people who do not exist. Many of the registrations have included bogus names and invalid addresses. "I used to vote Republican sometimes when I was alive," said the late Aldo Squibby, of Pierre. "But once I pegged out, I realized that it was the Democrats who were really looking out for my interests. I've voted Dem in every election since 1888." Investigators said in one case a woman was registered to vote a week after her death. "I was too sick to register when I was alive," said the late Freda Murton. "Now that I'm beyond all cares and woe, I have more time to devote to the issues." They have also found multiple absentee ballots distributed to the same registered voter but returned with different signatures, the officials said. "Now, you can call me Bob, or you can call me Rob, or you can call me Robert..." The case was brought to the attention of the South Dakota attorney general's office when county auditors began discovering problems with absentee ballot requests and votes. State Attorney General Mark Barnett said the investigation has been ongoing for two weeks. Barnett said that he hoped invalid absentee ballots haven't been filed. Absentee voting began Sept. 24 and the registration deadline is Oct. 21. "I don't even want to think about it," Barnett said. "A lot of absentee ballots are going to get looked at." "So far we've got about 114 percent of the ballots counted, and they're still coming in..." Federal sources said the key suspect in the investigation is a former staffer of the state Democratic Party, whom is alleged to have falsified voter forms. The party itself has not been implicated. Officials said that because of the size of the alleged fraud, they expect to find accomplices. Are these the same guys who worked for Mayor Williams, gathering signatures in D.C.? Bret Healy, executive director of the state Democratic Party, said the worker was fired as soon as the party learned of the allegations. Healy said party officials notified the U.S. attorney. "Hello? U.S. attorney?... Hi. South Dakota Democrat Party here. Listen, we've got something fishy going on around here. There's a couple dead guys who voted Republican. We just don't know what to make of it..." South Dakota does not require a photo ID to register to vote and absentee ballots can be obtained without appearing personally. "Actually," said John Q. Smith, a frequent South Dakota Democratic voter, who is also registered in Chicago and St. Louis, "you don't even need flesh and blood. Take me, for instance. I've never even existed..." Last week, Attorney General John Ashcroft attended a symposium in Washington, D.C., to promote legal voting this year. The national Democratic Party also said that it would monitor elections this year to make sure that those who want to vote are given access to the polls. "Dead people and the not-yet-born are just as concerned as the rest of us with how This Great Nation™'s business is conducted. Disenfranchising them is an affront to everything this country stands for. It was dead people who built this country, mostly. The Publicans are always hollering about the rights of the unborn — what about the rights of the never-been-conceived? Hah? Hah? Answer me that!" On Thursday night, the House gave final approval to an election reform bill that provides $3.8 billion to states to update equipment. The Senate took up the conference report on Tuesday and was expected to vote for its passage on Wednesday. President Bush has said he would sign the legislation. Republicans had insisted that measures also be included to deter fraud, including a provision that those who register by mail bring some form of identification to their polling places. That earned scorn from some lawmakers who said that the provision would erect barriers to voting. "If you can't trust a voter who's gonna vote Democrat, who can you trust? They're just jealous because so few non-existent people vote Republican." The South Dakota U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Tim Johnson and Republican Rep. John Thune is one of the hottest in the country. The race is among the eight tightest in the country which are likely to determine which party controls the Senate majority next year. The latest polls indicate Thune is ahead 48-43. Men with shovels are out every day, working hard to close that gap... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #6 I think that the latest on Patsy Mink in Hawaii is that her husband has agreed to run, or to assume her seat if she wins or something. On the other hand, is it really wrong to elect dead people to Congress? |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-10-17 10:08:46 |
| #5 They should do that in Hawaii, where a dead Dumbokrat is certain to win. Dead voters for dead candidates. Why not? Time to resurrect some Republicans. |
| Posted by: Amritas 2002-10-17 05:02:43 |
| #4 There. I fixed the places where I wrote "North" and thought "South". After all, what's a few hundred miles among friends, when control of the Senate's at stake? |
| Posted by: Wrong Way Corrigan 2002-10-16 14:27:04 |
| #3 But is the poll reflecting the voting intent of the dead and non-existent voters? After all, I'll wager they're far more likely voters... |
| Posted by: Andrew Olmsted 2002-10-16 14:23:26 |
| #2 Well... Which is the one on the left? Is that Wisconsin... (Grumble.) I hate it when I think one thing and write the other... |
| Posted by: Fred 2002-10-16 14:20:09 |
| #1 Some obvious confusion between North and South Dakota. Tip, one's north of the other. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-10-16 13:15:50 |