Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Secretary of State Ross Miller have announced they are filing criminal charges against the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN) and two of its employees in particular for "compensating their employees to register voters based upon a corporate mandated quota system."
The complaint includes 26 counts of Compensation for Registration of Voters, and 13 counts of Principle to the Crime of Compensation for Registration of Voters, both of which are category E felonies in Nevada, which means they carry a punishment of between one and four years in prison. Last October, the ACORN offices in Nevada were raided on suspicion of having paid campaign workers to register fake names. At the time, ACORN countered that they had flagged suspicious registration forms and were working with authorities to identify fraudulent registrations.
Interestingly enough, included in Miller's statement is an explanation that registration fraud, which includes filling out registration forms with false names is distinct from voter fraud, in which individuals cast fraudulent ballots.
It's important to keep in mind that this was a case of registration fraud, not voter fraud. ... The investigation and subsequent charges that have now been filed demonstrate the effectiveness of the safeguards in our system designed to prevent voter fraud. I've been clear from the outset of my administration that we would be aggressive in our pursuit and prosecution of any fraudulent activity that might threaten the integrity of our electoral process. This investigation is the direct result of our aggressive response to those safeguards.
Something to keep in mind, since conservatives regularly seek to blur the difference. Still, the charges are likely to add fodder to the notion that ACORN is not a reputable organization and hamper its efforts to rehabilitate its image.
-- A. Serwer
