MANCHESTER - The New Hampshire Attorney General has launched a comprehensive review of state voting procedures, after people obtained ballots of dead voters during the presidential primary on Tuesday.
No fraudulent votes were actually cast. But in nine instances, clerks readily handed over ballots after a would-be voter implied he was the city resident, recently deceased, still listed on the voter checklist, according to a video posted on the Internet.
After receiving the ballot, the person departed without voting.
The video was produced and posted by Project Veritas, a national organization that has snared ACORN, National Public Radio and others in clandestine video recordings.
After receiving the ballot, the person departed without voting.
The video was produced and posted by Project Veritas, a national organization that has snared ACORN, National Public Radio and others in clandestine video recordings.
Associate Attorney General Richard Head said his office became aware of the effort on Election Day and immediately began an investigation.
“That investigation is ongoing,” he said. “Based on the information received on Election Day and the information on the video, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of voting procedures with the Secretary of State.”
“That investigation is ongoing,” he said. “Based on the information received on Election Day and the information on the video, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of voting procedures with the Secretary of State.”
U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire John Kacavas said he had not heard of the video as of Wednesday.“If it's true, it's troubling to me,” Kacavas said. “I'm certainly going to look into it.”
State law makes it a crime to use a false name to obtain a ballot. State law also prohibits the audio-recording of a person without consent.
State law makes it a crime to use a false name to obtain a ballot. State law also prohibits the audio-recording of a person without consent.
It appeared that most, if not all, of the video was filmed at polling places in Nashua and Manchester.
► Click here to view the video.
Secretary of State William Gardner, as well as city clerks in Manchester and Nashua, quickly said Wednesday that they support the idea of voter identification, but not the voter photo ID bill that Gov. John Lynch vetoed last year.
Officials in Nashua and Manchester said the filmmaker should be arrested.
“They should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. When I was in the Senate, I always heard, ‘This never happens.' This is proof this happens,” said Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas.
“People who pull stunts like this should be prosecuted,” Nashua City Clerk Paul Bergeron said.
Project Veritas released the video the day after New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
“With the eight-vote margin in the 2012 Iowa Caucus, it is clear that voter fraud can influence the outcome of an election and it is important to note that Project Veritas' team had the ability to cast more than a dozen votes in this latest investigation,” James O'Keefe said in a fundraising email.
Actually, the would-be voter gets his hands on ballots only nine times in the 10-minute, seven-second Project Veritas video.
In one, the clerk directly asks the person if he is the man listed on the checklist.
At that point, the person said he was just checking to see if the checklist designates the voter as deceased.
In another, the dead person is not on the checklist, and the clerk encourages the person to register to vote.
Another time, the would-be voter left after poll workers started asking question about the name he gave, Manchester City Clerk Matt Normand said.
“It just so happens the ward moderator recognized the name as not being that person,” Normand said.
The moderator, Gloria Pilotte, asked to speak to the undercover voter to see if there was some mistake.
He left before they had a chance to speak.
“He never got a ballot,” Normand said.
That instance is not on the video, which can be found at www.theprojectveritas.com.
Project Veritas asked the New Hampshire Union Leader to email questions about the video, but did not respond.
It's not impossible for a dead man to vote in the Granite State.
Secretary of State Gardner said a fraudulent voter could check newspaper obituaries for recently dead people, and then go to a city or town to see if the name is on voting lists.
The bogus voter could then go to a polling place and likely get a ballot, he said.
Gardner said he's open to changes in state voting procedures, but not the legislation that Lynch vetoed.
Its provisional voting procedure would have been difficult to administer, Gardner said.
“I'm OK with photo ID, but I would like a way to do it without sending people home from the voting place without having cast a ballot,” Gardner said.
Republican House Speaker William O'Brien said Democrats have consistently maintained that no voter fraud takes place in New Hampshire. Now it's been shown that flaws exist in the system.
“I'm afraid — I hope it doesn't come down to this — it challenges our first-in-the-nation primary position,” O'Brien said.
► Click here to view the video.
Secretary of State William Gardner, as well as city clerks in Manchester and Nashua, quickly said Wednesday that they support the idea of voter identification, but not the voter photo ID bill that Gov. John Lynch vetoed last year.
Officials in Nashua and Manchester said the filmmaker should be arrested.
“They should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. When I was in the Senate, I always heard, ‘This never happens.' This is proof this happens,” said Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas.
“People who pull stunts like this should be prosecuted,” Nashua City Clerk Paul Bergeron said.
Project Veritas released the video the day after New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
“With the eight-vote margin in the 2012 Iowa Caucus, it is clear that voter fraud can influence the outcome of an election and it is important to note that Project Veritas' team had the ability to cast more than a dozen votes in this latest investigation,” James O'Keefe said in a fundraising email.
Actually, the would-be voter gets his hands on ballots only nine times in the 10-minute, seven-second Project Veritas video.
In one, the clerk directly asks the person if he is the man listed on the checklist.
At that point, the person said he was just checking to see if the checklist designates the voter as deceased.
In another, the dead person is not on the checklist, and the clerk encourages the person to register to vote.
Another time, the would-be voter left after poll workers started asking question about the name he gave, Manchester City Clerk Matt Normand said.
“It just so happens the ward moderator recognized the name as not being that person,” Normand said.
The moderator, Gloria Pilotte, asked to speak to the undercover voter to see if there was some mistake.
He left before they had a chance to speak.
“He never got a ballot,” Normand said.
That instance is not on the video, which can be found at www.theprojectveritas.com.
Project Veritas asked the New Hampshire Union Leader to email questions about the video, but did not respond.
It's not impossible for a dead man to vote in the Granite State.
Secretary of State Gardner said a fraudulent voter could check newspaper obituaries for recently dead people, and then go to a city or town to see if the name is on voting lists.
The bogus voter could then go to a polling place and likely get a ballot, he said.
Gardner said he's open to changes in state voting procedures, but not the legislation that Lynch vetoed.
Its provisional voting procedure would have been difficult to administer, Gardner said.
“I'm OK with photo ID, but I would like a way to do it without sending people home from the voting place without having cast a ballot,” Gardner said.
Republican House Speaker William O'Brien said Democrats have consistently maintained that no voter fraud takes place in New Hampshire. Now it's been shown that flaws exist in the system.
“I'm afraid — I hope it doesn't come down to this — it challenges our first-in-the-nation primary position,” O'Brien said.
He said Republicans are open to compromise as long as the New Hampshire voting pool is not diluted by non-resident or fictitious voters.
New Hampshire Union Leader reporters John DiStaso and Beth Lamontagne Hall contributed to this article.
Seems officials are more concerned with these people exposing how easily this can happen than preventing it from continuing .. Does make one wonder now doesn't it?
13 comments:
Well for what it's worth our voters lists are never correct and contains errors. Several times I and others I know have turned in petitions for warrant articles only to be told by our Town Clerk several registered voters aren't on his list, though they are registered. He has even admitted his lists are not up to date. Why is this? Oh and I have copies of my petitions with names either circled or crossed out that I will send to the Informer as proof of my statements. Seem we have a voter issue here too.
Why didn’t the Attorney General office launch a comprehensive review of state voting procedures when Winchester residents made a formal 24 charges of voter fraud in 2010. Why? Because the Attorney General Office isn’t interested in voter fraud it is out to hang the person’s video taping without permission. Yet they didn’t want to shame our poor little shameless House Rep Henry Parkhurst (aka. Mr. Pickle) for his part in the voter fraud in Winchester. They are protecting the Democrats to give them every change to get elected rightfully or fraudulently. Goes right along with ACORN tricks. The left are all in bed together literally.
Quote for the Union Leader: State law makes it a crime to use a false name to obtain a ballot. State law also prohibits the audio-recording of a person without consent.
I say screw them all and toss Parkhurst.
I kept hearing about this voting fraud in 2010 but what was it.? can any one explain.
AS far as the voter fraud in 2010check out old history on the blog it is all there.
The AGs office ought to probe into some of the crap that gets published on this blog.
What's the matter little man, the truth hurt too much? Don't like being in the spotlight and shown to be the liar you are John?
Is the lawsuit that appears on the first page of this blog against Margaret Sharra and the Planning Board been referred to the AG's office for investigation?
What are you talking about? I don't see any lawsuit filed on the first page of this blog and why are you posting your question in this topic about voter fraud? Stick to the subject at hand.
"Planning Board Sued Again, Sharra and Ruth Named Personaly ... Town Administrator Under Fire For Rudeness ..."
This is what scrolls across the top of the first page of the blog in red letters. I did not know if this was related to voter fraud.
Sorry I am knew to thsi blog thing
That scrolling marquee is on a different site altogether, not on this blog. As for asking if the AG's office was contacted by the citizens who filed the lawsuit, that would be a question for them as we have no information one way or the other.
My mistake. I was relying on the following that is found just below the scrolling marquee.
"Visit our Blog:
WinchesterInformer.blogspot.com
Post your comments and ask your questions regarding important town subjects".
As a result, I thought if I had a comment on that first page, I should go to the blog regarding a question regarding a potentially important subject. Again, i am knew to this blog stuff. I guess I am mistaken?
I believe we answered your question, and no need to apologize to us. All we can tell you is that those in question were named in the lawsuit as reported according to information we received. As for whether the complaint was forwarded to or if the parties involved even contacted the AG's office, we have no further details to offer.
@ Anonymous 1/17/12 8:39pm
The AG’s office doesn’t like to get involved in dirty little town politics or dirty little town police departments, period.
They have been in and out of Winchester doing half A$$ed so called inquiries and investigations and done nada or meaningless little when they have found something.
The WPD Association is a classic example. The AG’s office found in there investigation that Phillips, Roberts and Platz all committed the illegal act of bank fraud. They presented the bank with supposedly, in their language “certified paperwork” containing fake information such as that votes had taken place and meetings had taken place, that had elected them and given them authority to take over bank accounts when in fact, the AG’s office found that NOT to be true and that these meetings and votes electing them either never took or if they did they violated the bylaws and weren’t legal anyway. They were admonished. The AG’s office even admonished TDBank security for allowing this to happen.
Of course the paperwork taken to the bank contained nothing but lies which were meant to cover-up dirty deeds. They backpeddled and made excuses of course as to why they did what they did. Hiding behind the I didn't know it was illegal and against the law excuse. Of course it makes no sense why they wouldn’t have followed their own policy’s and procedures and done it the right way. They took the law into there own hands and did what they wanted. There is a documentable history of this.
They were all reprimanded by the AG’s office, sort of, by being forced to step down from their pretend, fake elected positions they put themselves in, in voting, that never really took place. But when the police break the law and then cover it up, who’s the real victim?
When was the last time you heard of someone going 90 MPH getting out of a ticket with just a warning, unless it was the police?
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