Posted on 10/29/2010 3:31:43 PM PDT by Qbert
A Virginia Democratic organization appears to have violated federal election law by offering free beer to voters.
The Arlington Young Democrats held a happy hour last week at which they offered "a free drink and some appetizers" to anyone who brought an "I Voted" stick to prove that he or she had voted early in Virginia, according to a flier.
"In elections in which federal candidates are on the ballot, no one can offer any kind of benefit or reward for voting. The simple way to deal with this is to open up the event to all comers — voters and nonvoters alike," Loyola Law professor and election law expert Rick Hasen wrote POLITICO in an e-mail. "This is a very common problem, because people believe they are doing their civic duty by encouraging other people to vote. And in many states, in elections when federal candidates are not on the ballot, this activity is perfectly legal."
Corporations such as Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's ran afoul of this law in 2008 and complied by offering freebies to everyone rather than just voters.
"We did have a get-out-the-vote happy hour" Young Dems president Gordon Simonett said. But the group said they were not aware that they were running afoul of any laws and held similar events in 2008 and 2009.
Simonett said that "zero people came by" with voting stickers and only a handful of poll volunteers even showed up. "Turnout was not what we expected," Simonett said. (The offer is illegal, Hasen said, even if nobody takes it up.)
A GOP group blasted the effort anyway.
"The Arlington Young Democrats knew they may have to pull all the stops to help Moran across the finish line, including offering a free drink and food in violation of the law," said Michael Thielen, executive director of the Republican National Lawyers Association. "This is just another sign of what scared Democrats will do."
Wait... what century are we in?
He lost.
He never made that mistake again.
Might be a good thing to outlaw the “I voted” stickers given out at the polls. Then the Rats wouldn’t know who to pay off.
99 free beers and they could be “99ers” !
I suggest a small sticker that says “Republican” be handed out to people outside polling places. They can take their “I Voted” sticker and underneath it, put the “Republican” sticker. Then, go get free beer paid for by George Soros. What could be better!
I say imprison them until they repent!
On a more serious note, the fact that Moran's Arlington helpers are this IGNANT suggests Moran may well be in trouble.
We have been on “double secret probation” for quite a while, too. I sense we are about to be in “good standing” again.
Desperate times, desperate measures... of brew!
This is absurdly small potatoes in contrast to the more worrisome forms of voter fraud and abuse being perpetrated by the Dems.
Of course the only reason we need such rules is that only Dems have such razor-thin integrity and intelligence that it takes but a single beer to vote against logic, common sense and enlightened self interest by pulling the lever for the donkey party candidate.
Tamany Hall baby....
If turnout in Arlington* was zip, maybe Murray has a shot at taking out Moran, after all.
*For those outside Metro DC/Northern VA, Arlington is the very hub of hip, upwardly mobile singles of all stripes, substantially heavier on libs.
No, it’s NOT against any law when Democrats do it. Check the fine print.
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