Milwaukee homeless got packs of cigarettes to vote?

[denali]

I heard this on the radio early this morning anyone know anymore about this? If true this sounds like vote buying which is illegal.

 

[ChrichtonsGirl]

I don't have a link, but it made the local news here in Madison. Democratic staffers drove minivans around downtown Milwaukee looking for homeless people. They gave them rides to the polls, and after they voted, a pack of cigarettes. It was pretty weird, watching all of these homeless people standing around a minivan with a big "Gore/Lieberman" sticker on it, smoking their new ciggies.

Our governor said yesterday that if Gore wins Florida, he will call for a recount of Wisconsin's ballots, since Gore only won here by about 6,000 votes (I think that was the margin). Without commenting at all on my own political views, it's sad that this whole thing will be contested and dragged out any longer than it already is.

 

[Chef0083]

I hear you CG! I think we need to resolve this as quickly as possible. Reguardless of who wins we need a decisive decision on this since the victory will be in no way decisive.

 

[PG]

This is old news. It was shown on TV according to some people I talked to.

 

[denali]

CG, Where the homeless who voted even registered to vote? When I heard it I thought it was just some disgruntled Bush supporter making something up.

 

[PG]

denali, you don't understand. You can register on the spot in Wisconsin. This story was not just made up by some republicans. Here is some more dirt, but I'll have to admit it is from Newsmax. Some people don't trust these guys 100%, but I don't trust the major networks very much either.

 

[denali]

PG, thanks I didn't realise that you could register on the spot in Wisconsin. BTW I trust newsmax as much as any other news outlet.

 

[FettsBabe]

No the democrats did admit to giving them cigarettes, but they said they didn't give them the cigs until after they voted.

They supposedly picked them up in a van/bus, took them to vote, and then gave them cigs at the end. They said the homeless didn't know about the cigs until after they were done voting.

I never heard one of the homeless interviewed, so I don't know anything further.

 

[ChrichtonsGirl]

PG's right Denali - in Wisconsin, you could register at the polls provided you had some form of identification, including a birth certificate or piece of mail with your name and address on it. You could bring your food stamp card, a copy of a welfare check, driver's license, state ID...pretty much anything that had your name and an address on it, even if it was for a shelter.

The homeless and poor have every right to vote (and maybe they have even more of a reason to vote) - but it was just another PR headache in an already muddy election. I have no doubt this is something the Republicans pulled somewhere too, the Dems just got caught on tape.

*Edit - I just looked at yesterday's paper to see what else it said (this is from the Wisconsin State Journal) - they actually went to a specific homeless shelter (the Rescue Mission), and took them in groups to vote (so when the first group got back, the rest of the people could see they got cigarettes after voting, since the Democratic staffers handed them out in front of everyone). It's undoubtedly fishy, most likely not illegal since they can say technically they never promised anyone cigarettes for votes.

 

[sweetrobin]

That just bites that they know for a fact the democrats did something illegal and that we are hearing more about stupid people in florida screwing up their votes rather than hearing about the stuff we know is cheating.

 

[denali]

CG, AFAIK you still have to be a citizen to vote most of those forms of ID you mentioned don't prove citizenship. I'm not saying they should not be allowed to vote, however this seems like a easy way to allow massive vote fraud. My mother just became a citizen last year, mainly so she could vote, I'd hate to think that if she lived in Wisconsin she could have voted without becoming a citizen.

 

[DABANSHEE]

Just because someone gave you a lift to the polling booth, then while giving you a lift home afterwards gives you a packet of cigies, doesn't stop you voting for whoever you like.

BTW Denali apparently in some states one only has to be a permanent resident of so many years standing, who's married to a citizen, to vote.

 

[BoberFett]

Technically I don't know that what they did was illegal. It's a pretty gray area. But it reeks of sneaky behavior. I mean, do we really want people that wouldn't normally vote to do so? Do you really think they knew who they were voting for? I'd guess they voted for the one name they knew, the name that was plastered on the side of the van. :|

 

[SuperTool]

Last time I heard, the NRA was raffling a shotgun for people who voted for Bush. I undestand that it's easy to pick on the homeless, but if you are going to do that, you have consider both sides.

 

[etech]

SuperTool, I'd be very interested in seeing a link to what you alleged.

 

[SuperTool]

Here you go

Also, why is offering tax breaks to corporations OK, but offering cigarettes to homeless people so wrong?

 

[64bitloopy]

Hey, that's not fair, all the election gave me was a headache.

 

[JellyBaby]

Are the democrats tainted by this instance of vote-buying? Yes.
Does it mean all Ds would stoop to something this this? No.
Did I see footage of this on TV? Yes.
Was I appalled? Yes.
Surprised? No.
Has it happened before? Yes.
Will democrats do it again? Yes.
Am I sick of this question/answer format? Yes.
Will I swear an oath to never do it again? No.