John Boehner - 8th District of Ohio

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Oct 9, 2008

Washington - Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement regarding allegations of wide-spread voter fraud in Ohio and at least 15 other states centered around the left-wing group ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform now:

“The latest allegations of voter registration fraud by ACORN are further evidence that this group cannot be trusted with another dollar of the taxpayers’ money.

“Election cycle after election cycle, this organization has been at the forefront of breaking the law in order to promote their left-wing agenda.  All the while, they have been the recipients of millions of dollars of federal funding through various federal programs and third-party groups.  House Republicans took at stand recently to cut off funding to an ACORN slush fund created by their allies in the House Majority, but now more must be done.

“All federal funding to ACORN must be stopped.  The ACORN slush fund must be disbanded.  Sources of federal funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development or any other agency must be stopped. Contracting for services between candidates for federal office and ACORN, as Senator Obama has done, must end.  Now that the taxpayers own Fannie Mae, any funding from Fannie Mae’s nonprofit foundation to ACORN must stop.

“ACORN spent decades promoting the housing policies that brought America’s economy to the brink, and similarly over the years has committed fraud on our system of elections, making American voters question the fairness and accuracy of the exercise of their most fundamental right under the Constitution.  Now it is time to cut off ACORN before it grows even more destructive.”

NOTE:  Since at least 2004, numerous allegations of voter fraud in Ohio have been levied against ACORN.  In 2006, a new law was enacted requiring paid voter registration workers to sign their own names on registration forms to make it easier to track individuals involved in fraud.  It is a felony in Ohio, punishable by up to 18 months in jail, to forge voter registration forms.  

“You Can Tell Them You’re Registered To Vote As Many Times As You Want – They Do Not Care.” “Two Ohio voters, including Domino's pizza worker Christopher Barkley , claimed yesterday that they were hounded by the community-activist group ACORN to register to vote several times, even though they made it clear they'd already signed up. Barkley estimated he'd registered to vote ‘10 to 15’ times after canvassers for ACORN, whose political wing has endorsed Barack Obama, relentlessly pursued him and others.  ‘You can tell them you're registered as many times as you want - they do not care,’ said Lateala Goins, 21, who was subpoenaed.  ‘They will follow you to the buses, they will follow you home, it does not matter,’ she told The Post.  She added that she never put down an address on any of the registration forms, just her name.  A third subpoenaed voter, Freddie Johnson, 19, filled out registration cards 72 times over 18 months, officials said.  (New York Post, Nuts!, 10-09-08)

ACORN’s Cleveland Top Organizer:  We Can’t Be Expected To Catch Every Fraudulent Card.  “A national voter-registration group admitted to Cuyahoga County election officials Tuesday that it cannot eliminate fraud from its operation.  The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, has turned in at least 65,000 cards to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in the last year. The board has investigated potentially fraudulent cards since August. … Kris Harsh, ACORN's head Cleveland organizer, blamed the elections board for not scrutinizing ACORN's suspicious cards. He said the group can't be expected to catch everything.  ‘None of us have ever achieved perfection,’ Harsh said.”   (Cleveland Plain Dealer, Voter-Registration Can’t Be Totally Fraud-Free, Group Says, 10-08-08)

One Form Was Turned In For An East Side Man Who Is Dead.  “Three paid solicitors suspected of filling out voter-registration forms for people who don't exist could face felony election-fraud charges. The Franklin County Board of Elections moved yesterday to refer the workers from ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, to county Prosecutor Ron O'Brien. … The three ACORN workers were among a dozen subpoenaed by White and elections Director Matthew Damschroder in connection with hundreds of forms that listed incorrect Social Security numbers, suspect addresses and nonexistent names. One form was turned in for an East Side man who is dead.”  (Columbus Dispatch, Paid Solicitors Might Face Charges, 10-21-06)

Most Fraudulent Forms Have Come From People Paid By ACORN.  “Elections workers in Franklin County have questioned the validity of hundreds of voter-registration forms and petition signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment to raise Ohio's minimum wage.  Most have come from people paid by ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which was blamed for similar problems with voter-registration forms in 2004.”  (Columbus Dispatch, Bogus Names To Get Hard Look, 8-30-06)

Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County.  He was first elected to Congress in 1990.