Posted on 10/17/2008 3:11:57 PM PDT by Creme Brulee
This morning, I received information that an Obama campaign worker Jacob I. Smith had registered to vote at a temporary address in Ohio.
We looked up Smith's public voter record and contacted the residents of the house at which "Jake" Smith was registered to vote.
Smith was being hosted by a man named Don and his wife during the election period. Don agreed to answer a few questions on camera, so we headed down to Howard, OH.
On the way down, Don called me back and said that he wanted us to get Smith's side of the story as well... he felt bad because Smith was “a good kid.”
Don called me back and told me he gave Smith my number and that Smith would be contacting me.
When I hung up, Smith had left a message- he wanted to know why we were seeking him out and told me to please go to HIM, not Don. He said that he was at the Obama headquarters in Mt. Vernon and that we should stop by to speak to him.
A few minutes later Smith called again -- he wanted to know why we were interested in talking to him. He asked how we got his information, etc. I told him we wanted to ask him a few questions about early voting in Ohio. He sounded nervous but he agreed to talk -- but not on the record.
I called Palestra graduate managing editor Tiffany Wilson to tell her the situation and when I hung up, I had ANOTHER message from Smith. He was frantic and said he couldn't answer any questions at all… “thanks but no thanks.”
He said didn't want to lose his job.
Tiffany and graduate reporter Gary Orr headed over to see if they could talk to Smith at the Obama HQ -- I headed to Don's house with graduate reporter Sean Merinar.
Don was really nice and just wanted to give us facts- he said that to his knowledge, Smith grew up in Florida and is a graduate of Hofstra University on Long Island, NY. He is a paid worker on the Obama campaign and is staying for the month of October. Don and his wife offered to host campaign workers and were paired up with Smith... they don't talk too much because Smith is always out working, but he seems like a nice guy.
When I asked Don if Smith planned on staying in Ohio, he said he didn't know.
I asked if Smith was welcome to stay at his place in Ohio, and he joked "yeah if he pays the rent."
Sean and I went to the Board of Elections and found that Jacob I. Smith registered and voted on October 1, 2008 at Don's address.
We also visited the prosecuting attorney's office, but she was unavailable for comment.
As we were walking out, I got a call from Tom Reynolds of the Obama campaign. Reynolds appeared angry and said, "I understand you visited one of our campaign workers..." I told him that Tiffany had visited Smith because SMITH INVITED US THERE and that I visited the host family. Frankly, Reynolds sounded paranoid and said "you have to go through the press office- we don't bother you at work, please don't bother us. Our workers have a job to do and we don't want them being disrupted."
He also said that if we needed something on the record, we should call him.
After talking one of our managers in the Palestra office, I called Reynolds back and asked if HE would be willing to go on the record since Smith couldn't. He kept saying "I don't know why you want me on the record because I don't even see a story here."
I REPEATEDLY TOLD HIM that we were inquiring about Smith's residency. Did he plan on staying in Ohio? We were told that he wasn't from here and that he was probably planning on leaving after the election (off camera on the phone).
Reynolds said "Well he got here before October 4 right? So he will be here 30 days right? And he registered before Oct 6 right? So he has complied with the law. There is no story."
I told him we have spoken to attorneys and that the law actually states that a temporary presence in Ohio does NOT make one eligible to register and vote in the state. (Ohio Revised Code 3503.02 Residence Determination Rules). I told him we spoke to the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Ron O'Brien just 2 days ago and we were given this information by him.
Reynolds laughed and said he was "well versed"... that I didn't need to refer him to the law. He repeatedly told me that he didn't see any story here.
Reynolds also felt it necessary to point out that the prosecuting attorney Ron O'Brien is a Republican -- as if that changed the law.
We were back and forth for a LONG time, and he never agreed to go on the record. Frankly, I felt like he was trying to intimidate me and talk me out of doing a story. He kept asking me who I had on camera and what kind of information I had.
I told Reynolds that we wanted to reach out and give them a chance to give their side of the story, but he kept saying "there is no story."
I think there is.
What can we do about it? They're going to steal Ohio.
I believe the key would be if he registered and voted in another state as well. I think the issue would also seem to be taking voters away from sure states (NY) and having them vote in more important states (OH).
At this time, seriously, I am registered to vote in 3 States, When I got a drivers license in California, an old house address in Oklahoma...they never took me off the country books, and I share the same name as my son, and can vote in Ohio. Lots of things are broken in the USA.
She was on Fox News this morning.
This fraud that ACORN is perpetrating is astonishing and that no one wants to do anything about it including the SUpreme COurt is astounding!!
Palestra is a college news service and they seem to be the only news service that remembers the purposes of Journalism.
There is a story.
Tom Reynolds of the Obama campaign should be thrown in jail. He is willfully and purposely violating the voting laws in Ohio. I just knew this was going on...college kids recruited to swing states under the guise of volunteering and then voting in the swing state. Most of them are probably voting back at home, too, via absentee ballot. The voting system is so broken in this country and these @@@holes are planning to steal an election.
Most likely, there is no “story” here — if the law has been followed. If I read it right, the issue is whether a guy will “be there” long term. Now, I would say that the law wouldn’t have anything to do with that — other than fulfilling the terms of the law (like how long you’ve been there and if you are a resident of that state).
I say that because it’s too uncertain, very many times, as to how long someone is going to be in an area. Jobs may not be forthcoming, or a current job may fire you or a number of other things can happen. You can say (easily) I *intended* to stay here longer, but circumstances didn’t work out. And that would be right for a lot of people. I know people who have intended to live in one place and have moved quickly after one thing or another happened that they didn’t like.
HOWEVER, if someone votes in their current residence and then votes in a prior residence (in another state), then that would be something *verifiable* and something illegal. That’s what they would have to find out. And they can’t find that out until the election.
It’s not going to work to ask whether someone *intends* to stay around. If they fall within the law, they get to vote...
I was in Ohio the last two Presidential elections and must confess the potential for fraud is tremendous in the state.
I hope there is some desire and will to supervise the elections.
They should find out where Smith lives when he’s not living at Don’s house and see if he submits an absentee ballot there. Then check the small print. I believe it’s still a crime to vote in two different states. It used to be when this was The United States of America.
Tiffany Wilson & Shelby Holiday are both doing great work.
I e-mailed Greta at Fox yesterday and told them they need to hire both of these young ladies, NOW!
This is reporting. They have the cretin on the run and scurrying for cover.
What “Vote From Home” has been doing is clearly illegal and a total fraud, and these two young ladies nailed them, caught them in the act on camera.
Just WOW!
Do you vote in 3 states? These Obama supporters are using the addresses of Ohio residents to unlawfully register and vote. This is "perjury", according to the terms of Ohio law, punishable by up to 7 years in prison. It is also unlawful to count the vote as valid. The McCain people need to lawyer up big time. Where is Ted Olsen?
You said — “Tom Reynolds of the Obama campaign should be thrown in jail. He is willfully and purposely violating the voting laws in Ohio. I just knew this was going on...college kids recruited to swing states under the guise of volunteering and then voting in the swing state. Most of them are probably voting back at home, too, via absentee ballot. The voting system is so broken in this country and these @@@holes are planning to steal an election.”
If the person fits within the law to vote, then you have to let them vote. However, if they vote in two different places, then they are violating the law. There’s the problem — not the fact that the guy registered to vote at the location of his new residence. No one is going to deny someone to vote, if they move and go to a new area and have lived there long enough, according the the laws of the state.
NOW..., if anything is wrong, it would simply be that these voting records are not cross-checked between states and even within one state. That should be done — for sure. But, you shouldn’t limit someone from voting in *one place* (wherever they happen to live)...
this needs to be out front no matter what it takes to get it out there
This is not ACORN. This is Obama's campaign itself!
Given Obama's work with ACORN, I would almost count the two as synonymous.
You said — “I believe it’s still a crime to vote in two different states. It used to be when this was The United States of America.”
That wasn’t the issue that was brought up (necessarily) in that story, but rather whether the worker should be voting in the area he was living and whether he should be stating his “intent” to stay there. I don’t believe you have to state your intent on continuing to live in some area in order to qualify to vote.
However, the issue that may be “beneath the surface” is whether this guy may be motivated to vote in two places. That would be a crime. But, that’s not what the article is about — but rather — whether he should vote where he is currently living.
I understand that but thanks for the clarification. I read the article twice. Yes, it’s important that he meets the voter requirements in Ohio but I’m concerned that he will probably also vote absentee in Florida and New York this year. I don’t get three votes myself.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.