Ex-ACORN worker to testify for GOP

[5711-Marine]

Ex-ACORN worker to testify for GOP

HARRISBURG -- A lawyer for the state Republican Party said Thursday that she will present a former ACORN employee to testify that the community group paid cash to workers and set quotas for collecting voter-registration forms.

Attorney Heather Heidelbaugh contends such payments are illegal. She told a state judge the witness, Anita Moncrief, worked in the Washington, D.C., office of ACORN -- the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- and came forward voluntarily.

The Republican Party said it is suing ACORN and the Department of State to prevent voter-registration fraud. The party is seeking voter registration lists compiled by ACORN, citing criminal investigations into alleged voter registration fraud in several Pennsylvania counties, including Allegheny.

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The lawsuit asks Commonwealth Court Judge Barry Feudale to require the Department of State to make its database of voter registrations more readily available and force ACORN to discourage fraudulently registered voters from casting ballots. It also would require ACORN to do public-service announcements.

Feudale said he would rule by today on the GOP requests for information and deposing witnesses. A hearing is scheduled Wednesday on the injunction request.

ACORN officials say they have strict quality-control measures in place and have forwarded questionable registration forms to authorities.

"The fact we have all these investigations going forward is proof the system is working," said ACORN attorney Kathryn Simpson, noting the difference between voter fraud and voter-registration fraud.

"There is no voter fraud. There has been no election," she said.

Al Masland, chief counsel for the Department of State, told the judge that the system is working.

Masland said the agency already is complying with what the Republicans are seeking and that the GOP effort seems partisan.

"As a registered Republican, I bemoan the tone of this petition," Masland said.

Heidelbaugh denied Masland's suggestion that it is an effort to smear Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro Cortes, a member of Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's administration.

Moncrief, the witness to testify, worked from 2005-08 for Project Vote, which has been described as an affiliate of ACORN.

Brian Kettering, an ACORN spokesman, said Moncrief was fired by Project Vote. He said she is not a credible witness.

Republicans say Democrat Barack Obama's ties to ACORN run deep -- a contention that his campaign vehemently disputes.

Obama has said he represented ACORN in the 1990s, along with lawyers from the U.S. Justice Department, to require Illinois to implement the Motor Voter Law.

The Obama campaign also paid ACORN subsidiary Citizen Services Inc. $832,598 during the primary for polling, advance work and staging major events, according to Federal Election Commission documents that the Tribune-Review cited in August. The Obama campaign said that entry in FEC records was a mistake and amended the report to say ACORN worked on "get out the vote" projects.

Brad Bumsted can be reached at bbumsted@tribweb.com or 717-787-1405.

[adymond]

Nothing to see here folks. Move along. And while you are moving be sure to give your portion of the $500,000,000 grant Congress appointed to ACORN as part of the bail-out package.

[Morel42]

Nothing to see here folks. Move along. And while you are moving be sure to give your portion of the $500,000,000 grant Congress appointed to ACORN as part of the bail-out package.

Linkage perhaps?

[MTechnik]

Wait, the same ACORN that McCain supported in 2006?

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmi...n.html?showall

NEVER!

Good to see that mccain is loyal.

[billamj]

Wait, the same ACORN that McCain supported in 2006?

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmi...n.html?showall

NEVER!

Good to see that mccain is loyal.

OK, he spoke at one of their events about immigration reform. Where does it say that he supported ACORN? Not sure about you but I know that there are many groups out there that have a position or two that I agree with but I would not support the group itself come hell or high water. I'm pretty sure that most people can say the same.

[625]

Good to see that mccain is loyal.

Get it straight. He voted for ACORN before he voted against them.

Both parties have stolen votes in the past, but I believe the Dems have perfected their rapacity. The question is: Did they steal enough this time?