Sen. Al Franken, whose political base may be unique in American history, gets the shakes when he thinks about what Republicans might do if they return to power in Washington in this year's House and Senate elections.
"If Republicans take back Congress they'll implement a truly dangerous agenda," Franken told the Netroots Nation gathering in Las Vegas. "Everything is on the table from repealing healthcare reform to privatizing Social Security."
Franken didn't mention it, but he might have been thinking the scurrilous Republicans might even prevent felons from voting in elections, which could pose a threat to his own fledgling career.
As previously reported here, an 18-month study of Minnesota's 2008 election returns determined that at least 341 convicted felons in Minneapolis and St. Paul, where the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is dominant, had voted illegally in the race between Franken and incumbent Sen. Norman Coleman, a Republican.
The final recount vote in the race, determined six months after Election Day, showed that Franken beat Coleman by 312 votes -- fewer votes than the number of felons whose illegal ballots were counted, according to Minnesota Majority's newly released study. The study matched publicly available conviction lists with voting records.
Showing posts with label felons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label felons. Show all posts
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Why didn't feds prevent felon votes in 2008 Franken election?
The federal government is required under the Civil Rights Act and the Help America Vote Act to make sure that states purge their voter rolls of ineligible voters — the dead, those who have moved, felons, undocumented immigrants, etc. — and to ensure that elections are administered and conducted fairly, said Dan McGrath, executive director of Minnesota Majority.
But the conservative watchdog group's review of Minnesota's voting records found that the government apparently did not fulfill that obligation in the state in 2008, which in turn affected the number of voters whose ballots were counted -- and possibly the outcome of the dead-heat election.
The group's recently published report found that hundreds of felons voted in the election in which Al Franken, a Democrat, beat then-incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman by just 312 votes out of more than 3 million cast -- a margin that was determined after six months of legal challenges and recounts.
The report, using public election records, state felony conviction documents and hand-sorted searches of voting rosters, found “irrefutable evidence” that hundreds of felons voted illegally in the election, and that the number of felons whose votes were wrongly counted exceeded the margin by which Franken beat Coleman.
“If the feds had done their job and ensured that the voting records were up to date, things would have turned out very differently,” McGrath said.
McGrath charged that efforts to get the federal government involved, even after the election, were met with a wall of silence, despite letters and a meeting with the FBI.
“We sent two letters to the United States Justice Department detailing the problem and met with the FBI, and nothing happened,” he said.
Among the early findings submitted to the Department of Justice in the first letter, dated Nov. 17, 2008, were that thousands more votes were cast than voter records supported, and that the registration rolls contained thousands more voters who had died, moved away, were registered at vacant lots or were undocumented aliens. Those charges, sent to the Justice Department in the waning days of the Bush administration, were supported by the former Minnesota Secretary of State, Mary Kiffmeyer, a Republican.
Two months later, "just as the administrations were changing, we met with FBI agent Brian Kinney in our office and he went through the documentation," McGrath continued. "When he left he said he had enough to file a complaint. We never heard from him again.”
A second letter, sent in October 2009 as results of the study began to emerge, also requested a federal investigation, It too was never answered.
But the conservative watchdog group's review of Minnesota's voting records found that the government apparently did not fulfill that obligation in the state in 2008, which in turn affected the number of voters whose ballots were counted -- and possibly the outcome of the dead-heat election.
The group's recently published report found that hundreds of felons voted in the election in which Al Franken, a Democrat, beat then-incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman by just 312 votes out of more than 3 million cast -- a margin that was determined after six months of legal challenges and recounts.
The report, using public election records, state felony conviction documents and hand-sorted searches of voting rosters, found “irrefutable evidence” that hundreds of felons voted illegally in the election, and that the number of felons whose votes were wrongly counted exceeded the margin by which Franken beat Coleman.
“If the feds had done their job and ensured that the voting records were up to date, things would have turned out very differently,” McGrath said.
McGrath charged that efforts to get the federal government involved, even after the election, were met with a wall of silence, despite letters and a meeting with the FBI.
“We sent two letters to the United States Justice Department detailing the problem and met with the FBI, and nothing happened,” he said.
Among the early findings submitted to the Department of Justice in the first letter, dated Nov. 17, 2008, were that thousands more votes were cast than voter records supported, and that the registration rolls contained thousands more voters who had died, moved away, were registered at vacant lots or were undocumented aliens. Those charges, sent to the Justice Department in the waning days of the Bush administration, were supported by the former Minnesota Secretary of State, Mary Kiffmeyer, a Republican.
Two months later, "just as the administrations were changing, we met with FBI agent Brian Kinney in our office and he went through the documentation," McGrath continued. "When he left he said he had enough to file a complaint. We never heard from him again.”
A second letter, sent in October 2009 as results of the study began to emerge, also requested a federal investigation, It too was never answered.
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