NEW! The smoking gun on voter registration fraud: Nathan Sproul
by Bob Johnson
Wed Oct 13th, 2004 at 07:28:21 GMT
Searching for information on the voter registration fraud stories breaking tonight in Nevada and Oregon, I kept coming across the same name: Nathan Sproul of Sproul & Associates in Phoenix, Arizona.
Nathan Sproul is the former head of the Arizona Republican Party and of the Arizona Christian Coalition (ah, the irony... a Christian).
Sproul is connected with the Republican National Committee-funded voter registration organization, Voter Outreach, Inc., a group that used paid registrars to register voters in a number of states including Nevada, Oregon, Arizona and perhaps more, including Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maine and Missouri. (Others states pending, particularly swing states.) Sproul's organization also recruited registrars by fraudulently telling recruits that they would be working for America Votes, a legitimate nonpartisan GOTV operation!
But Nathan Sproul may have made one fatal mistake in his efforts... He got greedy. Yes, he failed to pay many workers and he didn't pay his rent. He pissed some people off. And he raised suspicions. There is a good chance that this may be fraud on a MASSIVE scale...
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Sproul was also instrumental in getting petitions signed for Ralph Nader to get on the ballot in - surprise! - swing states!
Here is the first page of a Google search on Nathan Sproul.
Some real gems turn up:
How about this newsgroup posting to a forum for librarians warning them of a possible fraud perpetrated by Sproul. It includes a description of the scam in Pennsylvania, an article from a West Virginia newspaper reporting the same scam, and a comment from a librarian in Medford, Oregon outlining the same scam in her library... all fraudulently misrepresenting the organization doing the hiring as America Votes:
From: "McCullough, Holly"
[email protected]Date: Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:49:58 AM US/Eastern
Subject: Re: SCAM ALERT: Voter Registration
We had the same thing happen here in PA. Sproul and Associates hires
Kelly temp services to do voter registration. At one library site
where they were suppose to be only doing voter registration they were
also asking people how they were going to vote. I did some research
and found out that they were doing the same thing in WV (see the
article below) and one temp worker claims that they were trained to
ask people how they were going to vote. If the person said "Bush"
they were given a voter registration form. If they said "Kerry" they
were just told thank you and no form was given. When we found out we
asked them to leave immediately. One explanation from Sproul and
Associates was that they were doing "market surveys" at some sites.
Later they claimed that it was just a problem with a few temp workers.
Sproul and Associates is headed by Nathan Sproul the former head of
the GOP and Christian Coalition in Arizona.
They also always said they represented America Votes. When I finally
asked them to give me the contact information for America Votes they
told me that "America Votes is a non-partisan voter registration drive
project of Sproul & Associates. Everything originates from this
office. There is a partisan organization with that same name."
Clearly they know that when they say they represent America Votes they
are misleading people.
Holly
Here is the article from the WV paper for more info.
VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE 'MISLEADING'
Publication: THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE
Published: 08/20/2004
Page: 1A
Headline: VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE 'MISLEADING'
Byline: TOM SEARLS
[email protected]For a mother of two teens trying to finish up college, $9 an hour as a
temporary customer service representative sounded good.
"I wanted to find something that would work around my schedule and be
flexible," said St. Albans resident Lisa Bragg.
After spending more than an hour with Charleston personnel agency
Kelly Services last week, Bragg was hired. "They wouldn't tell us at
first what this job was," the 37-year-old Bragg said Thursday.
Then she found out it was registering Republican voters at One Stop
convenience stores throughout the Charleston region.
But she won't be there today, the first day she was scheduled to be on
the job.
"I'm giving up a job that I need," she said. "It's the only decent job
I've found."
While the job was to last six weeks, the $9 an hour was far above the
minimum wage of $5.15 Bragg was offered for most other temporary
employment.
Bragg feels her employers were misleading the public, even if it's not
illegal. Employees were to approach One Stop customers and ask if they
favor George Bush or John Kerry for president. If Bush was their
answer, they were then to inquire if the person was registered to vote
and offer them a voter registration card.
If the person supported Democrat Kerry, they were only to say thank
you and give them a registration card only if asked.
If asked questions, employees were instructed, "Only state you are
there to conduct a simple field poll to see what neighborhood support
is ... a nonpartisan registration drive."
They were told to quietly listen to any person who becomes angry and
to remember, "The goal is to register Republicans and to remain
positive."
"Is this the way it has to be? People have to be sneaky to make $9 an
hour?" Bragg said.
Employees were also given the number of a Kelly Services employee to
contact if there are problems. Contacted Wednesday, two different
employees said they would have someone from Sproul & Associates, the
firm paying for the survey, answer any questions.
Later, a Kelly Services employee who would identify himself only as
"Rob" initially said a message had been left with Ben Decker at
Sproul's office. He said he had no contact number for Decker, then
agreed to release a Michigan number.
A message left with Decker was not returned.
"
said the less you know about the company, the better
off you are, especially if the media would come asking questions,"
said Bragg, an admitted Democrat. "That made me more curious than ever
as to who's behind this and what's going on."
Sproul & Associates appears to be operated by Nathan Sproul, former
head of the Arizona Republican Party and a wealthy GOP activist who
has been involved in petition drives. An Internet search shows Sproul
has received some financing from national Republican groups, though it
was not clear who is paying for the West Virginia work.
Bragg, and another person working for the group, said they were told
the owners of the One Stop stores had agreed to allow them to conduct
the work on the stores' lots. Patrick C. Graney III and Michael R.
Graney are listed as the principal owners of 42 One Stop stores,
according to the state Alcohol Beverage Control Administration.
Messages left at One Stop's headquarters in Belle were not returned.
For Bragg it's an economic loss, but one she carries with pride. She
asked about registering voters with another organization - a group
that treats those of all political persuasions the same - and found it
pays only $5.50 an hour.
"I just don't want to be in my hometown and mislead people," she said.
To contact staff writer Tom Searls, use e-mail or call 348-5192.
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Meghan O'Flaherty" <[email protected]>
Date: September 16, 2004 3:29:16 PM PDT
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: Subject: SCAM ALERT: Voter Registration
Recently the Jackson County Library has been contacted by persons
purporting to represent America Votes. Our director was contacted by
a Harry Miller and asked to call an 800 number to give permission for
America Votes to conduct a non-partisan voter registration project in
our libraries. I received a letter from Sproul and Associates,a
consulting firm in Arizona,also saying they represented America Votes,
with the same request. I contacted the Kevin Looper, the Oregon State
Coordinator for America Votes, to verify the information and received
this reply from him:
"Here is what I know: We do not have a Harry Miller in our employ.
This organization is absolutely not representing America Votes, and my
National leadership is initiating action to get them to cease and desist representations that infringe upon our rights and mislead voters.
Further, Sproul and Associates is a partisan political consulting firm
Based in Arizona that works for very conservative causes and has worked to oppose campaign finance reform. Their use of our name to cover their political leanings makes me question the overall intregrity of the voter registation that they seek to conduct. I will be forwarding this information to the Secretary of State's office for further investigation."
Meghan O'Flaherty
Headquarters Library Manager
Jackson County Library Services
205 South Central Ave.
Medford, OR 97501
(541) 774-6403
[email protected]
So here we have Sproul involved in three (swing) states, using a bogus GOTV name to disguise his organization's own name, and using fictitious names (Harry Miller) as "contacts" for those with questions.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg with Mr. Sproul and the RNC. Keep in mind that in the recruitment ads for Voter Outreach, Inc, run on careerbuilder.com in targeted states (including Missouri and Arizona), the bottom of the ads included this statement:
Paid for by the Republican National Committee. www.gop.com. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Folks, this was an organized effort in swing states by the Republican Party using Nathan Sproul as their hatchet man.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/13/32821/029
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