Democrats in Arizona are challenging signatures Nader submitted to get on that state's ballot. Word from the field is that there are probably enough suspect signatures to keep Nader off the ballot. In addition to suspect signatures, entire reams of signatures can be invalidated if the person collecting them is a felon. Turns out that out of the 122 paid people who gathered the Nader signatures, at least 19 are confirmed felons. One of them was convicted for forgery.
Considering that these same felonious petitioners were also soliciting signatures for an anti-immigrant initiative and an effort to invalidate Arizona's clean election law, invalidating those petitioners and their signatures may actually serve triple duty, helping defeat Nader's cynical presidential effort AND two nasty Republican-backed ballot efforts.
Also, checking back with people in the know, it turns out that the partisan breakdown has shifted since the early days of the petition verification process. The numbers are now 65 percent Republican, 18 percent Democrat, the rest Independent.
Dems in Felon Fumble
NYPost By Vincent Morris and Deborah Orin June 24, 2004
Excerpt:
A Democratic group funded by Bush-hating billionaire George Soros is hiring felons — some convicted of sex offenses, assault and burglary — to go door to door registering voters in key states, it was revealed yesterday.
Soros gave $10 million to America Coming Together, which employs convicts to ring doorbells in Missouri, Florida and Ohio and perhaps other states.
They include at least four felons who got sent back to jail, the Associated Press reported.
The canvassers collect personal data like phone numbers, driver's licenses and partial Social Security numbers, the AP report added.
Dozens of names and addresses of ACT employees matched those of people convicted of burglary, forgery, drug dealing, assault and sex offenses. ACT hired some felons who were living in halfway houses, it said.
The Missouri Department of Corrections has banned ACT from its list of employers for felons in half-way houses due to "public safety" worries over having them handle personal information plus fears the felons could face false accusations.
ACT is legally separate from Democrat John Kerry's campaign, but has many veteran Democratic operatives with Kerry ties and its prime goal is to defeat President Bush.
Kerry campaign spokeswoman Alison Dobson said: "We have nothing to do with ACT." But she refused to say whether Kerry approves of hiring felons to collect sensitive personal data and go door to door.
Michael Pugliese