Reply #22: CA: 11 in O.C. charged with voter registration fraud [View All]

LA Times

Dozens of people who thought they were signing up to be Democrats ended up Republican. Those accused in the case are low-level, per-signature workers.
By Christian Berthelsen and Christine Hanley, Times Staff Writers
October 27, 2006

The Orange County district attorney's office has charged 11 people with fraudulent voter registration stemming from a Republican registration drive this year that resulted in dozens of Democrats unwittingly being signed up as Republicans.

Those charged had been paid as much as $10 for each voter they registered as part of a Republican Party effort to recruit more voters in central Orange County. The area includes the district represented by Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a regular target of Republicans, and a competitive state Senate race.

The cases were filed Tuesday, and three defendants were arrested Wednesday and Thursday. They are in custody and are scheduled to be arraigned today and Monday. The district attorney's office refused to release any information about them, including details usually available, such as the names and charges.

Sources said a press conference is scheduled for Monday, a week before the Nov. 7 election, with Republican Secretary of State Bruce McPherson, who is locked in a tight election battle with Democratic state Sen. Debra Bowen.

"The only thing I can say is it is our policy to not make comments on pending matters, and I don't have any information to share at this time," said Susan Kang Schroeder, spokeswoman for Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas. "That's all I'm saying."

A spokeswoman for McPherson declined to comment.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-votefraud27oct27,1,6873497.story?coll=la-headlines-politics&ctrack=1&cset=true