Chicago Group Sends Voter Registration to Dead Goldfish

[BearChick]

You have GOT to be kidding me.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27293263/

Dead goldfish gets voter registration material
‘Princess Nudelman’ won't cast a ballot, but Ill. mailing stirs controversy

CHICAGO - So election officials in Chicago's northern suburbs want to know why voter registration material was sent to the dead goldfish.

"I am just stunned at the level of people compromising the integrity of the voting process," said Lake County Clerk Willard Helander, a Republican, who said she has spotted problems with nearly 1,000 voter registrations this year.

Beth Nudelman, who owned the fish, said Princess may have landed on a mailing list because the family once filled in the pet's name when they got a second phone line for a computer.

"There was no fraud involved," said Nudelman, a Democrat who supports Barack Obama. "This person is a dead fish."

The paperwork sent to a "Princess Nudelman" likely came from the "Women's Voices, Women Vote" project, which sent nearly 1 million mailings to Illinois households in August using a list that mistakenly included some pets, said Sarah Johnson, a spokeswoman for the not-for-profit group that encourages single women to vote.

The mailing list, purchased from a vendor, included names from warranties, magazine subscriptions and other sources, Johnson said. The group attempted to screen out obvious pet names.

"Fido's not going to be left on there, but if a cat is named is Polly, she may be," Johnson said. Princess could be a person's name, she insisted. "I went to high school with two Princesses."

Fish is ineligible
Nudelman said the only address on the registration card was the Lake County clerk's office. She said she wrote election officials a humorous note explaining why the fish was ineligible to vote.

The Illinois mailing generated 63,500 returned voter applications, Johnson said. Applicants were instructed to fill in a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number so election officials would be able to validate their identity.

"We obviously don't want to add more work for any election official," Johnson said. "At the end of the day, our goal is same as theirs: To give as many people as possible the chance to make voices heard in our democracy."

Steve Sturm, legal counsel for the Illinois State Board of Elections, said the mailing generated numerous complaints from residents throughout the state.

Lake County election officials contacted Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office Monday afternoon, said spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler. The sheriff's office and state's attorney's office were "already working on it," she said.

The McCain-Palin campaign has lately raised questions about the voter registration practices of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN is accused of submitting false registration forms for some of the voters it has registered. The FBI has joined nearly a dozen states in investigating.

Women's Voices has worked with ACORN in the past, but the August mailing "has nothing to do with" ACORN, Johnson said.

[Texas Golfer]

Our electoral system needs a complete overhaul. Votes are being bought/sold and elections are being stolen.

Partisanship has complete control over democracy.

[ChipOC]

I often put in my pets names in registration forms so I can track which organizations are slimy address buying *****s who are sending me stuff. It seems that our election folks are these sleaze balls now.

Acorns are nuts, but now we know that ACORNS are bad nuts.

[BaylorBabe]

Hasn't Chicago been doing this for pretty much ever? :lol:

[quash]

I often put in my pets names in registration forms so I can track which organizations are slimy address buying *****s who are sending me stuff. It seems that our election folks are these sleaze balls now.

Acorns are nuts, but now we know that ACORNS are bad nuts.

I've done the same thing. FTR: the story explicitly says ACORN had nothing to do with it.

Not sure why registration stories are getting all the play. I am far more concerned with eligible voters being denied their right to vote.

[Texas Golfer]

I've done the same thing. FTR: the story explicitly says ACORN had nothing to do with it.

Not sure why registration stories are getting all the play. I am far more concerned with eligible voters being denied their right to vote.

How are eligible voters being denied? Allowing non-eligible voters (such as the 37,000 convicted felons in Florida) is more disturbing to me.

[cowboycwr]

Voter registration is stupid. I honestly think more states need to just go ahead and register everyone. Registration is a major hinderance to voter turnout.

As to eligible voters being denied how about the ones who aren't registered/ didn't mail it in time, etc that now cannot vote? As to the felons, states can pass laws denying them the vote or to give them the vote back. That is the other problem, there are very few universal rules in terms of voting, each state can really make their own rules and it doesn't need to be that way.


I also think more states need to do like Oregon and vote by mail.

[Bexar Fan]

If there were a secure way to take an internet poll, I'd be for it. The logistics would not be a real issue, but security and eligiblity/authorization would be difficult.

[ChipOC]

Get a national ID card and problem mostly solved.

[BaylorBabe]

Get a national ID card and problem mostly solved.

:lol: Don't get the conspiracy theorists started.

[quash]

How are eligible voters being denied? Allowing non-eligible voters (such as the 37,000 convicted felons in Florida) is more disturbing to me.
What are you talking about? Florida did not allow 37000 non-eligible voters to vote.

[Texas Golfer]

What are you talking about? Florida did not allow 37000 non-eligible voters to vote.

Florida announced that, although convicted felons cannot vote, 37000 convicted felons registered for this election.

[atxtraveler]

TG... quit bringing facts into the discussion. ACORN will put you on their terror watch list.

[cowboycwr]

TG... quit bringing facts into the discussion. ACORN will put you on their terror watch list.

yea facts are evil. Especially the one about how alot of the whole story is simply a back log of removing names of people already registered who then became felons. Or felons who are incorrectly registering.

Again this is just another reason why I think registering is a stupid idea. The DPS has a list of 18 and older, just remove the felons from that and there is your list of eligible voters, forget all this crap about must register every 2 years, at least 30 days before the election, etc.

[quash]

Florida announced that, although convicted felons cannot vote, 37000 convicted felons registered for this election.

I stand by my statement: Florida did not allow 37000 non-eligible voters to vote.

Here's a fact that seems to escape many of you: there's a difference between registering and voting.

But I suspect facts are less relevant when your side is facing a loss, thus the need to gin up a cover story in advance about the election being stolen by ACORN. And I thought only Democrats still remembered Florida and 2000...

[Texas Golfer]

I stand by my statement: Florida did not allow 37000 non-eligible voters to vote.

Here's a fact that seems to escape many of you: there's a difference between registering and voting.

But I suspect facts are less relevant when your side is facing a loss, thus the need to gin up a cover story in advance about the election being stolen by ACORN. And I thought only Democrats still remembered Florida and 2000...

I don't think the difference has escaped anyone. But should the illegal registrant not get caught, it has now become an illegal vote should he choose to cast a ballot.

What may be escaping you is that they are registering these people and trying to get them to vote for their candidate. Merely registering illegal voters does nobody any good. It's a positive end result in which they are looking for.

[The Banterer]

Get a national ID card and problem mostly solved.

From what I've heard (from talking to a relatively high-up at LULAC) there is actually legislation in the house that would propose a national voter ID card. The main thing that he mentioned about it (and why he was against it) is that it wouldn't be free, so it could be seen as discouraging to lower socioeconomic groups.

BTW, thoughts and prayers to Princess Nudelman's family.

[Bexar Fan]

BTW, thoughts and prayers to Princess Nudelman's family.
Hahaha....

[ChipOC]

I stand by my statement: Florida did not allow 37000 non-eligible voters to vote.

Here's a fact that seems to escape many of you: there's a difference between registering and voting.

But I suspect facts are less relevant when your side is facing a loss, thus the need to gin up a cover story in advance about the election being stolen by ACORN. And I thought only Democrats still remembered Florida and 2000...
If you have a voter registration card you do not need to show Id to vote. Therefore, if they get it by the checks and do get a registration card mailed out, there is no way to stop them from voting. It IS a problem.

[ChipOC]

From what I've heard (from talking to a relatively high-up at LULAC) there is actually legislation in the house that would propose a national voter ID card. The main thing that he mentioned about it (and why he was against it) is that it wouldn't be free, so it could be seen as discouraging to lower socioeconomic groups.

BTW, thoughts and prayers to Princess Nudelman's family.
Wouldn't it be worth it to spend some of that government money to ensure a valid election and show the world that you shouldn't be able to try and steal an election?

An Id card could also be used for employment purposes. We spend the money on social security cards and even passports, but we can't do this?

[The Banterer]

Wouldn't it be worth it to spend some of that government money to ensure a valid election and show the world that you shouldn't be able to try and steal an election?

An Id card could also be used for employment purposes. We spend the money on social security cards and even passports, but we can't do this?

I don't think it would be a bad idea at all, that was just the main he reason he gave as to why LULAC would be against it. I think that the best way to do it would be to incorporate it with getting a driver's license.

[ChipOC]

I don't think it would be a bad idea at all, that was just the main he reason he gave as to why LULAC would be against it. I think that the best way to do it would be to incorporate it with getting a driver's license.
But you have to pay to get your driver's license, so then you are in effect enacting a poll tax. That won't fly.

[cowboycwr]

But you have to pay to get your driver's license, so then you are in effect enacting a poll tax. That won't fly.

Not really. you don't have to have a DL to vote.

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/faqs.shtml

[KellerBear]

I have known quite a few goldfish with OUTSTANDING voting records.

[ChipOC]

Not really. you don't have to have a DL to vote.

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/pamphlets/faqs.shtml
That wasn't my argument. That was his suggestion.

The original argument was that if you can get your false voter registration to be approved, then you don't need to show Id to vote, just the card. So fraud could easily happen.

[quash]

If you have a voter registration card you do not need to show Id to vote. Therefore, if they get it by the checks and do get a registration card mailed out, there is no way to stop them from voting. It IS a problem.

It is a potential problem. And since Florida is so good at scrubbing their rolls I am not concerned at this point. Get back to me when the goldfish actually cast a ballot.