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The ACORN problem is real

Only one year ago, many Americans had never heard of the group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). However, after a year of bad headlines, including criminal charges being filed against their employees for voter registration fraud in numerous states, Americans are beginning to understand the damage this group is doing to the electoral process.

Last year, I personally waded through mountains of evidence collected by our own election fraud team. It was absolutely shocking to comb through scores of fraudulent registrations that this group collected and submitted to county boards of elections all over the commonwealth.

Now, the charges of voter registration fraud brought against seven ACORN workers in Allegheny County highlights the dangers this group continues to present in the Keystone State. Click here to read more about those charges in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Though these individuals should obviously be punished, it’s time for a thorough investigation into the common thread of so many suspicious activities—ACORN itself. The voter registration quota system this group has created, in which ACORN will fire employees who do not meet their quota of new registrations a day, has created an environment that not only permits but encourages fraud. Sadly, many of these ACORN employees are so desperate for a paycheck that their need to keep their job outweighs any punishment that may result from resorting to criminal actions, and so these employees commit fraud and fill out forms to meet their quotas. ACORN takes advantage of this reality, and tolerates fraud until their employees are caught in the act.

The goal of ACORN is simple. The organization floods county boards of elections with tons of registrations, knowing full well that some of the fraudulent registrations will fall through the cracks and make their way onto the voter rolls.

Since the actions of ACORN have begun to emerge, the Obama administration and Democrats have stayed mostly silent on the subject, speaking out only to defend the group and blasting its critics as wasting energy on the organization. This general silence leads me to believe that the Democrat Party understands this group is up to no good, but doesn’t want to pass up their assistance in helping to expand their voter registration totals.

We will surely continue to hear about ACORN as the 2010 election cycle draws near. Hopefully, increased media scrutiny will further expose the actions of this group, which have already weakened our nation’s trust in the electoral system.

May 11, 2009 at 2:30 pm

--Michael Barley

Tags: ACORN

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