Voters will see more security - News

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Oct. 18, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Voters will see more security

Officials to watch for fraud at polls

By LYNNETTE CURTIS
REVIEW-JOURNAL

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EARLY VOTING

Early voting starts today and lasts through Oct. 31 at stores and government buildings around the Las Vegas Valley. Hours and locations vary from day to day.

• Check your sample ballot

• Call the Election Department at 455-VOTE (8683)

• Clark County Elections Department

Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax, left, and Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller take questions from the Review-Journal's editorial board at the newspaper's offices on Friday.
Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Nevadans can expect increased security at the polls this year amid concerns about the integrity of the election process and expected record voter turnout for "the most anticipated election in Nevada history," Secretary of State Ross Miller said Friday.

Early voting begins today as officials continue their investigation into whether the community activist group ACORN helped foster voter registration fraud in Nevada and several other states.

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Nevada poll workers will more closely scrutinize voter signatures, and a statewide election command center will quickly respond to any allegations of voting fraud on election night, Miller said during a morning news conference.

Miller and Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax both insisted that voters need not be concerned about the integrity of this year's election, despite the ACORN investigation.

"We in Clark County give you results that absolutely reflect the votes that were cast out there by the citizens," Lomax said during a Friday interview with the Review-Journal's editorial board. "As far as the integrity of the election, no one has anything, in my opinion, to doubt."

Miller's office said that Nevada Democrats increased their voter registration edge over Republicans to 111,559 -- far above the edge of about 4,100 voters a year ago.

The total of all registered voters in Nevada stands at nearly 1.5 million, including 625,333 Democrats and 513,774 Republicans. For Democrats, that's 43 percent of the voters; and for Republicans it's about 36 percent. The rest of the registered voters are nonpartisan or members of various splinter parties.

The investigation of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, activities in Nevada is being handled by an election fraud task force made up of investigators from the secretary of state's office, the attorney general's office and the FBI. The probe centers on whether ACORN canvassers -- including prison inmates on work-release -- filled out voter registration forms with false or copied names.

ACORN claimed to have submitted about 90,000 voter registration forms, Lomax said. Of those submitted, about half were found to be duplicates "or garbage," he said.

Similar problems with ACORN's forms were found during the 2004 election, Lomax said.

ACORN said it was the victim of dishonest canvassers that it tried to have prosecuted to no avail. The organization said it fired canvassers found to be submitting fraudulent forms.

Most of ACORN's submitted forms were for Democrats, Lomax said. But authorities don't believe the Democratic advantage in voter registrations is linked to the ACORN allegations. Officials say few if any false registrations made it onto the voter rolls because of checks in the system. Phony addresses and duplicates never make it onto the rolls; registrations without valid driver's license or Social Security numbers require identification be shown at the polls.

Miller said that poll workers have been trained to more closely verify voter signatures in part because of the "number of concerns" his office has heard about the ACORN investigation. If a signature doesn't match, the voter will be asked to present an ID. First-time voters, as usual, also will be required to show an ID to vote.

The statewide election night command center to be operated from the secretary of state's office will include liaisons in each Nevada county, Miller said.

"I want to ensure the public that we absolutely have integrity in the votes that will be cast in the upcoming election," he said.

He estimated as many as 1 million Nevadans may cast votes in the election this year, about 85 percent of active voters in the state.

Nevada has more voting machines and polling locations in place than ever to accommodate voters, Miller said. He urged voters to take advantage of early voting to avoid anticipated long lines at the polls on election day, Nov. 4.

Nevada's Republican Party remained confident, despite the newly released voter registration numbers that tilt toward Democrats.

"Our base will turn out as well as the independents and the third parties, who know John McCain is the best candidate," Zac Moyle, executive director of the party, said. "As far as we're concerned, we're still planning to win this election."

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0285.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Steven wrote on October 22, 2008 07:07 AM: Great comments about the difference between voter fraud and voter reg fraud. The MUCH bigger voting problem lies with voter "caging", or purging. Go to www.stealyourvoteback.com to learn about how the Republican party is stripping Americans of their right to vote! It's disenfranchisement at it worst! Shame on the republican party!! Jeremy wrote on October 18, 2008 06:44 PM: ACORN registration campaign should be investigated. But, as "womenagainstpalin" states, there is a major difference between "voter fraud" and "voter registration fraud." Voter fraud is when a persons votes or attempts to vote using a false identification. Why so many equate the two is beyond me. womenagainstpalin wrote on October 18, 2008 06:15 PM: Tim, I know you never graduated, but really - voter REGISTRATION fraud, and voter fraud are two totally different things. Let me explain. Mickey Mouse registers to vote = Voter REGISTRATION Fraud. Mickey Mouse registers to vote and is allowed to vote = Voter Fraud. In order for actual voter fraud to be perpetrated, the person intending fraud would have to be registered and have identification available to prove he is in fact "Mickey Mouse". If of course, Mickey Mouse has never voted previously. You can share the information with your girlfriend Palin, (it seems she doesn't understand it either) if you don't mind. I hope you try to educate yourself before you continually shove your foot in your mouth. Makolelau wrote on October 18, 2008 04:47 PM: Aloha Hawaiians. Who can you trust for OHA? PURDY for Molokai/Lanai thats who. PURDY for OHA...au rite. Bobby wrote on October 18, 2008 12:49 PM: When you vote for these TRAITORS time after time there's a good reason to have more security. Just like the President now has more security than ever before. The TRAITORS need protection from the people they are raping. Lying, Cheating & Stealing Trilogy wrote on October 18, 2008 11:27 AM: It's been revealed, today, that ACORN's founders Wade & Dale Rathke, were involved in embezzlement of funds and a cover up, have been, thrown under the bus, by Ethel Lewis, the new CEO of crime. This is all buried on page 7 of the RJ. Lying, cheating and stealing are the trilogy of ACORN. Tim wrote on October 18, 2008 09:58 AM: we can only hope. The US Supreme Court Will Save the Republicans, Again wrote on October 18, 2008 09:50 AM: Scalia's November Surprise will be to give George W. Bush a third term. Criminals from the top down wrote on October 18, 2008 08:56 AM: ACORN is a dysfunctional organization on so may levels. This morning, we now know, one of the founding brothers (Dale Rathke) stole a very large sum of money from ACORN, then Wade Rathke, tried to, maybe, quietly, put some back., We are talking about federally funded money. It was a felony, both of these characters committed felonies,stealing and cover up. Bertha Lewis, interim grand pubah, is trying to minimize, whats going on. This organization is criminally dysfunctional. Tom, Burbank wrote on October 18, 2008 08:39 AM: I.D. should be required of everyone who shows up to vote. "A vote for Barack Obama is a vote to keep jobs here instead of sending them overseas;" Huh? When Obama raises the corporate tax rate, what will they do to save money? Hmmmmm, let me think. They'll go overseas! Duh. Obama is fool's gold, and Former Republican has been fooled. Read All Comments