Is the NV Voter Reg. trashing story getting any media attention?

[Beaverhausen]

I'm stuck in a cube and wondering...

[progressivebydesign]

1. Yes.. on Yahoo front page.

God.. what a scumbag that guy in Nevada is!!

[Beaverhausen]

4. that's a different story- I mean the one about the independent firm

this one


http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2421595&nav=168XRvNe

Voter Registrations Possibly Trashed
George Knapp, Investigative Reporter

(Oct. 12) -- Employees of a private voter registration company allege that hundreds, perhaps thousands of voters who may think they are registered will be rudely surprised on election day. The company claims hundreds of registration forms were thrown in the trash.

Anyone who has recently registered or re-registered to vote outside a mall or grocery store or even government building may be affected.

The I-Team has obtained information about an alleged widespread pattern of potential registration fraud aimed at democrats. Thee focus of the story is a private registration company called Voters Outreach of America, AKA America Votes.

[liveoaktx]

2. And look at this from dailykos

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/13/15534/960

[DemFromMem]

3. Any Nevada DUers out there?

How is it being reported in your state?

[Awsi Dooger]

6. Predictably different treatment by the two Las Vegas papers

The rightwing rag Las Vegas Review Journal buried the story at the end of a generic article on voter registration.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Oct-13-Wed-2004/news/24982879.html

The much more progressive Las Vegas Sun has a very good detailed article. Unfortunately, the Sun is the secondary newspaper, much lower number of subscribers and visibility.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2004/oct/13/517659602.html

"Clark County Registrar Larry Lomax said his office also has received similar complaints about Voters Outreach.

"A lot of complaints I get about that group are that people go to register and they feel they are being pressured to register as Republican," he said. "People don't like that kind of pressure. I've been told that people get paid only for every Republican they register, so that would explain why they're so pushy."

"Andres Ramirez, state director of Voices for Working Families, another group registering voters, said he sent several of his canvassers to a training session conducted by Voters Outreach. They were told they could earn $500 for every 80 Republicans they register, Ramirez said."
.
"The stories are compatible with other accounts about Voters Outreach, including an August article in The Charleston Gazette in Charleston, W.Va."

Maybe someone can look for that article in the Charleston Gazette.

You can see the obvious difference in treatment of this story simply by checking the websites of the Las Vegas papers. No mention at all on the front page of the Review Journal, the very first story with the Sun.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/index.html

http://www.lasvegassun.com/

[Brotherjohn]

5. Josh Marshall is onto it now.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/

I also did a Google search for "Voters Outreach RNC" and got 4-5 stories (some outlets in Oregon picking up the original NV story). Googling "Voter's Outreach RNC" with an apostrophe got me zilch (so drop the apostrophe).

[cheezus]

7. friend of mine in Vegas just IMed me about it

says it was just on the channel 8 news.

and he just IMed me this link:
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2421595&nav=168XRvNe

[Brotherjohn]

8. The DNC is onto it now, too!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1052990#

[Rainbowreflect]

9. Email this to everyone you know.

This is just so unbelievably wrong.

[Awsi Dooger]

10. Lester Holt quoted an admission from a Voters Outreach worker in Oregon

He was told to register only Republicans and "might" destroy registration forms of Democrats.

[Brotherjohn]

12. Please post what they say for cuberats! (n/t)

[Awsi Dooger]

15. I screwed up my previous post

I meant to reply to it, not edit it with a complete change. Sorry, Brotherjohn.

Anyway, Lester Holt showed a national map highlighting Nevada and Oregon. He gave the basics of the controversy then quoted the unnamed worker in Oregon. Finally he showed a graphic with a pathetic denial from the RNC, saying they abide by the rules, do not promote registration irregularities, and challenge the DNC to follow suit.

[Brotherjohn]

17. No prob. Did you lose your feed during the story, as in this thread?:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=1053524

[Awsi Dooger]

20. No, I managed to see the entire piece, as brief as it was

Maybe 90 seconds tops. They didn't have specific numbers on how many registrations could have been destroyed. No analysis from one of their political commentators, or a local feed from a reporter in Nevada or Oregon. No mention of a more substantial report later on MSNBC.

I suspect that will come. Per usual, Olberman is by far the most likely hero. His show will be coming on early today, due to the debate timetable.

[Brotherjohn]

11. Woohooo!! You can watch the story develop as we post!!

The news cycles are now turning in our favor! Let's ride this baby all the way to Nov. 2!!

[MsTryska]

13. Wait......which nevada story is breaking right now?

the one where the voter outreach people were trashing ballots, or the one where Dan Burdish of the RNC is trying to purge dems as "inactive voters"? that's the one running on yahoo, right now.

[Brotherjohn]

14. So many Repub voter fraud stories per state, so little time! (nt)

On EDIT: the repost above by the DUer who originally mentioned MSNBC seems to clarify that it's the trashing of Dem voter registrations by RNC-funded Voter's Outreach.

[MsTryska]

16. I know! this is insanity.

I'm keeping some cohorts (mixed bag of dems, indies, libertarians, bushies and europeans) int he loop on this stuff.


it's blowing my norwegian friend's mind. he calls us a "democrazy" right now and keeps warning of a nazism.

[evannever]

18. NPR's All things Considered just ran the story.

The jist of it was that people were getting pissed off about it, but no official word from the powers that be about legal action. The NPR reporter did make the connection that the company trashing the forms was hired by the RNC.

[pmbryant]

19. It's up to us to combat this.

We cannot count on the national media to do its traditional job. Some enterprising local reporters have broken the story, now it is up to us to run with it and make sure the GOP doesn't get away with these fraudulent practices.

--Peter

[Awsi Dooger]

21. Terry McAuliffe just highlighted this on MSNBC

He gave the basics during a short clip with Chris Jansing.

Jansing immediately followed with RNC chair Ed Gillespie. She asked the basic question and Gillespie predictably downplayed it, saying the GOP doesn't tolerate such practices and the firm in question denies it. Something like, "there's going to be an investigation and there should be." Then Gillespie tried to turn the issue around by mentioning supposed Democratic irregularities in Colorado. Jansing let that go and changed the subject to tonight's debate.

[incapsulated]

22. It's going to be hard tonight

Because of the debate. Which is why we have to keep their feet to the fire with emails.

[Beaverhausen]

23. Glad to hear this is being aired

I'm sure if it's happening in NV it's happening everywhere!

[karlrschneider]

24. On M$RNC a while ago and heard it also on NPR in the car just a bit ago.

So it's getting some attention...evening news MIGHT mention it...
:eyes:

[ewagner]

25. NPR

All Things Considered did a great segment on it at 4:06 CDT. From the words of the reporter they interviewed, it sounds like a slam dunk case...witnesses, evidence...the whole smear......

Also, the RNC issued a response saying they have "zero tolerance" for voter registration fraud.

Yeah. Right. <>

[0rganism]

26. Yes, on NorthWest Cable News it's a headliner

Oregon Sec of State Bill Bradbury is pissed off about this. Bill can be very persistent, and he's running for re-election himself. Trust him to kick some ass on this matter.

[Awsi Dooger]

27. Olberman's coming up with a segment, "Trashing The Vote"

And Lou Dobb's just had a piece on CNN, including a brief clip of Eric Russell, the Las Vegan who claims he saw the Democratic registrations torn up. They showed him with ripped pieces of forms in his hand.

A Voters Outreach spokesman was quoted dismissing Russell as a disgruntled former employee.