Allegations of Electoral Crimes

Opinion  New York Times  18 October 2004

Reports out of Nevada and Oregon indicate that a company paid to register voters for the Republican Party may have systematically destroyed registration forms filled out by Democrats. If so, thousands of voters who made a good-faith effort to register may not find themselves on the rolls on Nov. 2. Intentionally destroying voter registration forms is a crime against the heart of democracy. The allegations should be vigorously investigated. The immediate concern is ensuring that criminal actions by partisans do not disenfranchise any eligible voters.

A former employee of Voters Outreach of America has come forward to say that he saw the company, which was being paid by the Republican National Committee, destroy Democrats' registration forms in Nevada, while it was handing in forms filled out by Republicans.

The Oregon attorney general's office has opened its own criminal investigation into allegations that Voters Outreach may have destroyed voter registrations there. A public library system in Oregon has said that it barred the firm from library property after finding that it had misrepresented itself as being nonpartisan.

Nathan Sproul, a Republican political operative who heads the consulting company that hired Voters Outreach, attributed the reports of destroyed registration forms to a disgruntled former employee. He said the firm had a "misunderstanding" with the Oregon public library.

Destroying voter registration forms is not merely an ugly political trick; it can be a felony. The Department of Justice, and the states of Nevada and Oregon, should quickly and thoroughly investigate these allegations, and look into any registration work being done by Voters Outreach and Mr. Sproul in other states. The charges should be pursued wherever they lead. Since the Republican Party was paying the bills, questions should be asked about what instructions it gave for its registration drives, and what it knew about the alleged malfeasance.

It is vital that no eligible voters be denied a ballot because their registrations were destroyed. The Nevada Democratic Party has, quite reasonably, sued to extend the voter registration deadline. If the Nevada and Oregon registration deadlines are not extended, those states should announce that they will accept late registrations from any eligible voters who submit affidavits saying they filed registration forms with Voters Outreach canvassers.

No matter what, voters should show up to vote. If they are not on the rolls, they should insist on their right to a provisional ballot. If the election turns out to be as close as polls suggest in both states, people who voted provisionally will have a chance after Nov. 2 to insist that their votes be counted.