I-Team investigation uncovers voter registration fraud - Part I

10/11/2004

DENVER - With just 21 days left until an election in which every vote will count, the 9News I-Team has uncovered voter registration fraud that could cause chaos on Election Day for hundreds, possibly thousands of Colorado voters.

9News has discovered a record number of fraudulent voter-registrations across the state. Secretary of State Donetta Davidson tells 9News she is concerned about what the I-Team has uncovered and wants those responsible prosecuted. "It has just gone rampant," she told reporter Deborah Sherman in an interview Monday afternoon.

Most of the fraud has come from registration drives, where people at grocery stores or on the streets ask you to sign up. 9News has learned many workers have re-registered voters multiple times by changing or making up information about them. 9News has documented 719 cases of potentially fraudulent forms at county election offices show fraudulent names, addresses, social security numbers or dates of birth in Denver, Douglas, Adams, Boulder and Lake counties. Information from other counties is still coming in.

Some voter registration application forms are completely bogus. Others belong to legitimate voters, who have had one or two facts changed that could affect their registration when they show up at the polls November 2nd. Tom Stanislawski registered to vote six years ago. But this summer, someone signed him up again and changed his party affiliation. "My concern would be I'd walk in November 2nd and be unable to vote," he said.

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I-Team report on voter registration fraud - Part II

10/12/2004

DENVER - Authorities are calling for criminal charges and change following a 9News I-Team investigation showing widespread voter registration fraud in Colorado.

In fact, officials say the people in the I-Team report should go to jail. Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter told 9News Tuesday afternoon his office is investigating some 200 questionable voter registration applications. "People are trying to corrupt the election process. People should be prosecuted," Ritter said.

Our I-Team investigation found some voter registration workers signed-up people dozens of times for money. And some of those who registered aren't even allowed to vote. Workers forged signatures, made up addresses or changed legitimate voter information, many times without voters ever knowing it.

Kym Cason told 9News she registered herself 25 times and her friends 40 times. Cason claims she was trying to help her boyfriend earn money. He worked for a group called ACORN that paid workers by the hour but had a 5 application per hour quota. Cason told 9News, "everybody needs an extra dollar here now and they need to make their quota for the day."

Jim Fleshman, the regional supervisor for ACORN, told 9News tonight that the organization would fire any worker who did not deliver the required 5 applications per hour. ACORN claims to be a nonpartisan organization that works with low-income families.

9News also found a few bogus forms from the New Voters Project and the Colorado Progressive Coalition.

The group Fair Vote Colorado is encouraging people to go to its website and check their registration. Spokesperson Mark Eddy told 9News today, "This election, more than any other, has the possibility for confusion and mistakes to be made and we just want to be sure that people have an opportunity to correct those mistakes before the election." Fair Vote Colorado will have an Election Day "war room" set up. It will have lawyers standing by to talk to voters having difficulty voting at the polls. Their phone number is 888-839-4301 or you can go to www.fairvotecolorado.org.

You can also call your County Clerk to verify your information...but we've learned clerks will still be entering registrations up until Election Day.

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Fair Vote Colorado

Election Day Voter Hotline (toll-free): 1-888-839-4301

We need your help to ensure that our fundamental right to vote is properly available to all eligible voters in Colorado.

Contact Shawn Rogers at (303) 839-4300 x212 with questions or comments

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