O.C. voters were duped into GOP registration

[LCMS_No_More]

REGISTRATION REQUIRED!
ocregister.com/ocregister/news/atoz/article_1083406.php
REGISTRATION REQUIRED!

Saturday, April 1, 2006

O.C. voters were duped into GOP registration
Petitioners lie, cajole and commit forgery while duping more than 100 O.C. residents into joining the Republican Party.
By TONY SAAVEDRA, KIMBERLY KINDY and BRIAN JOSEPH
The Orange County Register

More than 100 Orange County residents who thought they were simply signing petitions to cure breast cancer, punish child molesters or build schools were duped into registering as Republicans, an Orange County Register investigation found.

The ruse took place over several days in December and January at shopping centers throughout Anaheim, Santa Ana, Buena Park, Westminster and Garden Grove, where paid petitioners begged, cajoled, lied and committed forgery to get so-called Republican converts. Petition circulators were paid as much as $7 for each GOP registration.

Orange County election officials have received complaints from 167 people who were flipped to the Republican Party without their permission. The Register found the problem was far wider, interviewing 112 others who were not only switched, they were tricked and deceived. Among the victims is a lifelong Democrat who was pressured to fill out forms even though she didn’t have her glasses and couldn’t see what she was signing.

The Register traced the bogus registrations to Christopher Scott Dinoff, who took out 13,000 blank affidavit cards from the Orange County Registrar of Voters Office, records show.

–more–

 

[aimee]

Is this April Fools joke

 

[vern_humphrey]

aimee:

Is this April Fools joke

Has to be – there is no advantage to registering Democrats as Republicans. In fact, it would hurt the Republicans, since it would qualify Democrats to vote in Republican primaries – where they would vote to nominate the weakest candidate.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

RE The Register found the problem was far wider, interviewing 112 others who were not only switched, they were tricked and deceived. Among the victims is a lifelong Democrat who was pressured to fill out forms even though she didn’t have her glasses and couldn’t see what she was signing.

One wonders if Democrats are particularly prone to sign things they don’t read. They also seem to be overly prone to be confused by ballot instructions.

If so, might be more effective to present them with blank checks.

 

[LCMS_No_More]

aimee:

Is this April Fools joke

Nope. Real story.

Frankly, I’m surprised the OC Register reported it considering its right-wing/libertarian bias.

 

[Fitz]

Joe Kelley:

RE The Register found the problem was far wider, interviewing 112 others who were not only switched, they were tricked and deceived. Among the victims is a lifelong Democrat who was pressured to fill out forms even though she didn’t have her glasses and couldn’t see what she was signing.

One wonders if Democrats are particularly prone to sign things they don’t read. They also seem to be overly prone to be confused by ballot instructions.

If so, might be more effective to present them with blank checks.

LOL!

 

[Geldain]

If it’s true, and it may be, I don’t have a clue–then whoever did this should be held responsible.

Considering the rep of the paper and such, I wouldn’t be surprised either way.

If it is true, I’m curious why they chose living people. Dead democrats have been voting for years

 

[Fitz]

So what was the point? Wouldn’t people easily be able to switch back anyways?

 

[bapcathluth]

Fitz:

So what was the point? Wouldn’t people easily be able to switch back anyways?

So the fact that they could eventually switch back makes deception just fine? I have only seen one poster on this board admit that this was a reprehensible action. Anything done by Republicans must always be excused must be the mantra here.

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

bapcathluth:

So the fact that they could eventually switch back makes deception just fine? I have only seen one poster on this board admit that this was a reprehensible action. Anything done by Republicans must always be excused must be the mantra here.

It is a reprehensible action and the people who committed this fraud should be jailed accordingly. I don’t think ANYONE here said “deception is fine”. Rest assured though, this isn’t only Republicans who are pulling these kinds of tricks. Sadly, both Democrats and Republicans have been doing the same thing for years.

 

[Scott_Waddell]

bapcathluth:

So the fact that they could eventually switch back makes deception just fine? I have only seen one poster on this board admit that this was a reprehensible action. Anything done by Republicans must always be excused must be the mantra here.

Nice sweeping generalization. Anyway, of course deception is wrong and I’m willing to bet most Republicans would say if someone did as the story claims, they ought to be punished. What everyone here is reasonably taking issue with is the attempt to paint it as part of the vast Right-Wing conspiracy.

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Scott Waddell:

Nice sweeping generalization. Anyway, of course deception is wrong and I’m willing to bet most Republicans would say if someone did as the story claims, they ought to be punished. What everyone here is reasonably taking issue with is the attempt to paint it as part of the vast Right-Wing conspiracy.

I am thinking just the opposite. Somehow I think these were democratic opperatives that changes and now are crying wolf. I would not put it past them and their allys in the MSM

PF

 

[bapcathluth]

Semper Fi:

It is a reprehensible action and the people who committed this fraud should be jailed accordingly. I don’t think ANYONE here said “deception is fine”. Rest assured though, this isn’t only Republicans who are pulling these kinds of tricks. Sadly, both Democrats and Republicans have been doing the same thing for years.

Thank you, Semper Fi, for speaking out against this action. I don’t condone it by Republicans or Democrats. The fact that these people were paid per signature probably accounts for their stooping to these tactics, and if Democrats pay per signature, could do the same thing.

 

[bapcathluth]

WanderAimlessly:

I am thinking just the opposite. Somehow I think these were democratic opperatives that changes and now are crying wolf. I would not put it past them and their allys in the MSM

PF

Do you have proof for this accusation? I like how you take an example of a Republican engaged in wrong doing and then blame it on the Democrats.

 

[Fitz]

bapcathluth:

So the fact that they could eventually switch back makes deception just fine?

I am not saying the decpetion was fine, so don’t put words in my mouth. I am wondering what the stupid person thought they had to gain, when this would not help a thing. It seems like a stupid prank. When I said they could easily switch back, I meant even for that election. I don’t see any gain.

Yes, and this prank should be punishable by law. Unfortunately these type of things are present in both parties. We all remember the Democrats that slashed tires in Wisconsin during the last election. Last I heard even a Congressmans son was involved in this action.

 

[bapcathluth]

Fitz:

Yes, and this prank should be punishable by law. Unfortunately these type of things are present in both parties. We all remember the Democrats that slashed tires in Wisconsin during the last election. Last I heard even a Congressmans son was involved in this action.

And that should be denounced as well. We shouldn’t just say, “Oh, well what’s the big deal, they will vote Republican anyway.”

 

[LCMS_No_More]

WanderAimlessly:

I am thinking just the opposite. Somehow I think these were democratic opperatives that changes and now are crying wolf. I would not put it past them and their allys in the MSM

PF

The Orange County Register is a right-wing/libertarian biased newspaper in one of the most rabidly right-wing counties in the United States. Sorry, but the whole “allies in the MSM” dog don’t hunt in this forest.

 

[gilliam]

LCMS_No_More:

The Orange County Register is a right-wing/libertarian biased newspaper in one of the most rabidly right-wing counties in the United States. Sorry, but the whole “allies in the MSM” dog don’t hunt in this forest.

Orange County is heavily hispanic

 

[Morning_Glory]

**I see people blaming the Republicans. I see people blaming the Democrats. Unfortunately, you will fighting this “war” forever.

What about the people who didn’t take the time to read what they were signing? Not having the backbone to say no, until after the deed was done? The ones responsible here are the signers of the petitions.**

 

[LCMS_No_More]

gilliam:

Orange County is heavily hispanic

Only in Central OC. Some of the most rabidly right-wing congresspersons are from OC and there is only ONE Democrat congressperson from Santa Ana/Anaheim…and truth to tell, that sticks in the craw of most Anaheim residents who make Rush Limbaugh look like Karl Marx.