Sec of State Summers to Announce Investigation Findings 9/21

I wonder if any of the med students who voted out of the hotel were non-US citizens.

Secretary of State finds huge voter fraud as a result of his investigation. A total of 1 of the 500 voters his office investigated was found to have improperly voted. None of the students referred to the Secretary of State by Republican Chairman Webster voted illegally. What a bunch of hyped BS. Chairman Webster should resign for besmirching the reputation of these student voters.

Posted: 3:18 PM

Summers reveals voter fraud investigation results

By Rebekah Metzler rmetzler@mainetoday.com
MaineToday Media State House Writer

AUGUSTA - ....Summers... investigations... revealed "vulnerabilities" ... but cited only one case of illegal voting.

.... one non-U.S. citizen... registered and voted in Maine in 2002. None of the more than 200 students .. voted illegally....

.... some of them may be in violation of Maine's motor vehicle laws ... sent them letters... to make sure their cars are registered in Maine ....

Summers... will draw up legislation to improve the integrity of Maine's voting system for ... January.

Source

**********

Not a huge finding of wrongdoing, but not entirely without fault, either.

One non-citizen voted illegally in 2002.

Some of the students haven't registered their cars in Maine, as they should have done if they're truly "residents" of this state. Why not?

Well that shoots down the bogus claim that the system "isnt broken" doesnt it?

Or are you ok with voter fraud [which is a violation of our rights] up to a certain point? If so what number of fraudulent votes is where you think we should get concerned?

3:44 PM
Summers: Probe finds little election fraud

The Associated Press

AUGUSTA — ...snip

....Webster, who said he'd uncovered more than 200 cases of possible election fraud. Of all of those, Summers said five were found to have voted in Maine and another state the same year — but not in the same election.

A driver's license fraud investigation found one non-citizen, who's left the United States.

Source

Well, this is a bust.

It amazes me that people come up with these hare-brained ideas and don't think them through.

Clearly, there is but one conclusion to be drawn from this investigation:

The D-Rats have been cheating at elections for so long they have perfected it to the point where they just cannot be caught.

What are honest voters to do?

For those who care enough to self-educate, here's a PDF file of Sec. of State's remarks at today's press conference:
http://www.asmainegoes.com/SecretaryofStatePressConferenceRemarks09.21.1...

Secretary of State finds no student voter fraud but maintains system is vulnerable

By Eric Russell, BDN Staff
Posted Sept. 21, 2011, at 3:06 p.m.

AUGUSTA, Maine — ....snip

As for noncitizens successfully registering to vote, Summers identified one case from 2002 in which an El Salvadoran voted in Portland even though he was not a U.S. citizen. That person since has been deported, Summers said.

Source

***********

I'm sure it was just an isolated, unique incident.

Yeah.

Virtually no actual fraud found.

Looks like a solution in search of a problem to me.

Well I guess that was a small puddle to drain opposed to a swamp!!!
One case is enough for me to say applicable laws should be looked at and tightened to clarify residency issues and voting eligibility etc. etc..

One aspect that should be pursued is the fact that students attending Maine colleges should be informed that the are required to register vehicles in Maine etc. as a requirement to attend.

I hate to see what bill N. column will look like tomorrow!

In an interview CW recently said his job is to get people elected, maybe that is what he should stay with!

It appears these reporters came to the press conference with their stories written already. Why the singular focus on fraud? What the Secretary of State's investigation found from a very small sampling (4/100's of 1 percent of the voters in Maine's Central Voter Registration system) are several weaknesses: students registered in Maine and in their home states, noncitizens registered to vote, a Maine law requiring municipalities to keep voting records two years only, and hundreds of potential dual voting cases where the same voters appear on more than one municipal voting list.

All good points, and thank you, Thistle.

Tom C - Is Narans post NOT an example of fraud?
..Hmmm?

Truly sad, i'm disappointed. Get your stuff together before making such assertions.

charlie

No,, it appears there are potential vulnerabilities in the system for sure!
But the attention on them will be greatly diminished by the findings not being anything near being alleged as pro ported by CW to begin with!!
The reporting will be just that because that is what happened.
The other issues are no less serious but they will take a back seat to the act played out in center ring of the circus!
There is only one person to blame or who owns this one!
This just another example of ,never ask a question you do not know the answer to, never start unless you have rock solid , verifiable every which way because if you do not , you will get eaten alive by the opposition!

Why no focus on the snow birds that split thier time between Maine and the southern states? Why is the focus limited to only college students.

I have not checked, but I fully expect that one of my kids is still registered here in Maine, although has not lived here since 2007. Has that person voted in another State? I have no idea, but I am confident that there has not been votes cast in both States. I also know that my mother knowingly registered to vote in Maine and Florida and rationalized it by saying that she only voted in one place each election. If the concern was genuine, the examination would be focused on the senior citizens as much as the college students. Then again, the prevailing opinion is that young people vote democratic and seniors vote repubilican. Funny thing is, as my mom got older, she voted more democratic, and my son is a republican.

What the Secretary of State's investigation found from a very small sampling (4/100's of 1 percent of the voters in Maine's Central Voter Registration system) are several weaknesses: students registered in Maine and in their home states, noncitizens registered to vote, a Maine law requiring municipalities to keep voting records two years only, and hundreds of potential dual voting cases where the same voters appear on more than one municipal voting list.

Exactly - The Democrats have managed to change this debate about the integrity of the electoral system to a contest about proving fraud - knowing that it is next to impossible to prove! How clever. What the SOS's report shows is that we have one very loose electoral system in Maine and if one wants to commit voter fraud there are essentially no barriers or safeguards to stop you.

And yes, the SOS did find voter fraud. I am reminded of the several elections in this district that have been decided by ONE vote AND the re-counts that happen EVERY year in state legislative races. Anyone who thinks we should keep the existing system UNTIL we have PROVEN a more widespread voter-fraud epidemic really doesn't care about democracy.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2011
Contact: Caitlin E. Chamberlain

***Media Advisory***

Secretary of State Charles E. Summers, Jr. to Speak at Maine Heritage Policy Center Luncheon

AUGUSTA, MAINE – Secretary of State Charlie Summers will be speaking at the Maine Heritage Policy Center Luncheon at DiMillo’s On the Water in Portland on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at noon. He will be discussing the topic of ensuring integrity in Maine’s elections.

###

"Exactly - The Democrats have managed to change this debate about the integrity of the electoral system to a contest about proving fraud"

Charlie Webster presented 206 student names to be scrutinized for voter fraud. Finding fraud by choosing these likely suspects would support a question of integrity of the electoral system. So far, this is wrong from the moment he opened his mouth. This is nothing but a witch hunt that makes Monty Python's witch identification process appear scientific.

It's amazing to see so many in this thread complain about the inevitable press coverage of the fizzle story of "voter fraud" in Maine. If you didn't complain about Webster's relentless over-hyping of the non-problem or SecState's own press conference to kick this off, how can you possibly complain about press coverage on the back end? This is a self-inflicted wound paid for by the taxpayer. The fact that the investigation uncovered inefficiency and clerical error is not vindication of how this mess started. I'd think differently if the words "illegal voting" and "voter fraud" were not such a central focus at the beginning and along the way.

By the way, please don't complain about the "sample" used in the investigation. As best as I can remember, the "sample" was provided to the SecState by the head of a political party.

From Summers' statement:

"191 of the 204 students who claim Maine as their residents have yet to obtain a Maine driver's license - even though it has been far more than 30 days since they registered to vote."

And from the BDN article:

"One of his findings was that 77 students were registered in Maine and in another state between 2008 and 2010.

Asked whether that constituted fraud, Summers replied: “It is fraud if they intentionally did that. But it’s very difficult to prove [intent].”"

Not fraud? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck....

Bangor Daily News reporter Eric Russell also misses the Secretary's larger point. Rather, Mr. Russell joins others in the old media fixated on student voter fraud, not obvious weaknesses in Maine's voting system. I am uncertain if the student voter fraud fixation is meant to take down Maine Republican Party chair Charles Webster, or to lend support to David Farmer and the Yes on 1 people who want to keep the weaknesses in place.

The Bangor Daily News is running an online poll question today --

BDN Online Poll: Does Maine need legislation to fix its election system?

Sec State Summers on WVOM 103.9/101.3FM 7:30(?) am 9/22

This is nothing but a witch hunt that makes Monty Python's witch identification process appear scientific.

"Witch hunt" is a bad analogy. There is fraud out there - all over this country and yes, even in this state. Many of us believe that our system, being one of the least secure in the country, is vulnerable to illegal voting and needs to be more secure. This is akin to locking the cash register. That is not a witch hunt.

Thistle - thank you for the continued excellent analysis. I am glad that Webster and Summers have performed this investigation. The resulting inadequacies in Maine's voting/motor registration laws can now be addressed by the next legislative session.

Rep. McKane - please pay no attention to the Cavalcade of Harpies you'll be enduring the next few days. They're still smarting over MuralGate and the November 2010 election, and will do anything to discredit or damage the new administration. Revenge is ugly.

Just remember when speaking to the media, anything you say can and will be used against you.

secretary of state charles summers will discuss this investigation on radio with howie carr at 4:05 this afternoon. based on my preliminary research, howie carr's show is heard on wvom-fm 101.3 and 103.9, and also on wgan 560 am.

Instead of falling into the 'fraud' trap/line of thinking? How about mockery?

"There is incontrovertible evidence of a long and determined effort to supress the vote of students and elderly and blacks. This conspiracy to disenfranchise the voter is, and has been, perpetrated by one party that is bent on power and control. Millions of students are denied the opportunity to vote because of the inability to register and vote on the same day in electorially important states like Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Massachusetts. And they are required to present and vaild government issued ID."

Horror of horrors! Those bigoted, haters of the young old and indigent.

Sec of State Summers on air this morning with George Hale and Ric Tyler on WVOM.

Click Here to Listen (MP3 Format)

Sec of State Summers on air this morning with Mike Violette and Ken Altshuler on WGAN

Click Here to Listen