From Fox News: Voter fraud has a shocking new meaning in eastern Kentucky.
That is where in some cases, major cocaine and marijuana dealers
admitted to buying votes to steal elections, and the result is the
corruption of American democracy. The government continues to mete out
justice in the scandal, as two people convicted in April in a
vote-buying case face sentencing this week, and another public official
pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy.
"We believe that drug money did buy votes," Kerry B. Harvey, U.S.
attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said of a separate
vote-buying case.
He described a stunning vote-buying scheme that includes "very
extensive, organized criminal activity, involving hundreds of thousands
of dollars, and in many cases that involves drug money."
Harvey has led a recent string of federal prosecutions exposing the
widespread and accepted practice of vote buying in eastern Kentucky. The
soft-spoken federal prosecutor, along with his team and state
authorities, are waging a battle against what he characterizes as a
vote-buying culture embedded in many of the communities for generations.
He says the problem is rooted in economic woes, which is why votes
are routinely for sale. In that part of the state, jobs are scarce and
poverty is high. Controlling local government means controlling jobs. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/25/drug-money-funds-voter-fraud-in-kentucky/#ixzz21evz76wW
In this case, voter ID probably would not have worked, however, these cases also undermine Democrats and liberal clams that there is not voter fraud going on.
I am sure this is not the only place in the country this is going on, these people were just stupid enough and brazen enough to get caught.
But we have seen, especially in Wisconsin this past year, that buying votes does happen- though sometimes it's not cash that buys the vote. Maybe it's food, or cigarettes or lunches. In Las Vegas, the Culinary unions would bring their members down, give them lunches and then watch their members vote, or collude with management into forcing their workers to vote.
http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2010/11/time-to-boycott-harrahs-and-their.html
So, voter fraud does exist and my guess it will be rampant in the this years presidential elections in swing states.
At the Prairie Café...
4 hours ago
It's a different argument. Unless this "vote buying" (which obviously, I'm against) resulted in people voting who were not legally registered, it's a different crime. And as you said, it isn't fixed by Voter ID.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you'll find many Democrats who think people don't buy and sell votes. Especially after Citizens United!