Northern Colorado Gazette

Young man mistaken for Eric Holder at Washington DC polling place

by Jack Minor –

The Justice Department has dismissed a video showing a white man being offered a ballot in Attorney General Eric Holder’s name saying it is a non-issue.

In the video, part of James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas, a young man is seen going into the Washington DC voting precinct of Obama’s Attorney General, Eric Holder.

The young man, who was white, asks if Eric Holder’s name is on the list. The poll worker affirmed that it was and offered the young man a ballot. The individual suggests he should show his ID, but the poll worker says, “You don’t need it. It’s all right. As long as you’re in here, you’re on our list, and that’s who you say you are, you’re okay.”

The young man then said he wanted to present his ID and told the worker, “I’ll be back Faster than you can say Furious,” on his way out. The statement is a swipe at Operation Fast and Furious, where Obama’s Justice Department told gun dealers to allow sales to members of Mexican drug cartels to go through.

Following the sales, which resulted in the death of at least one law enforcement official, Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry, the Justice Department stated that gun sales to Mexico were a serious problem and advocated for increased gun control as a solution.

While it is easy to suggest this is simply an isolated incident, O Keefe has presented multiple instances of similar voter fraud.

In other undercover videos, a person is seen asking election officials in Minnesota if it would be possible to register Tim Tebow or Tom Brady to vote in the state. He explains, “Thomas Brady can’t come in. He’s going through a lot of depression; he can’t come in to register to vote.”

The election official said “Oh that’s allright.”

Andrew Cole, a spokesman for Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s office, said the Holder video shows the need for voter ID legislation.

“A photo ID requirement to vote is a simple anti-fraud tool,” Cole said.  “Polls show that a large majority of the public favors a photo ID requirement because they value election integrity and they know that a photo ID is already required for all kinds of everyday activities.”

Critics of voter ID laws say they are unfair to minorities who are unlikely to have any type of ID. They also say that despite the videos there is no evidence it is rampant. The American Civil Liberties Union has said it is not just opposed to photo identification, but any and all identification as a condition of voting.

Opponents of voter ID laws do admit that it is easy for someone to fraudulently register and vote, however, they claim the fraudulent activity would be detected after the election and the individuals would be prosecuted if it were to happen. However, the man in the Holder video would be very difficult to prosecute as there is no contact information to locate him. The only name and address he provided was Holder’s.

Supporters of voter ID laws point out that an ID is required by all people for many everyday transactions such as cashing checks, boarding an airplane and, in Chicago, is even required to purchase drain cleaner.

Steve Moreno, Weld County Clerk and Recorder, said a large majority of county residents currently show photo identification at polling places. “Election judges have said that over 90 % of all voters show a Colorado driver’s license at the polling place prior to casting their vote at the vote centers.”

While a person casting a ballot in the name of another voter would have his vote caught and thrown out if the real voter shows up, the real potential for fraud is people casting false ballots in the name of a person who is deceased or moved to another state or illegal aliens voting.

A recent report by NBC – 2 in Fort Myers featured interviews and voting documents that revealed nearly 100 illegal aliens who are registered to vote and in some cases have voted in elections as far back as 2001.

Election officials told the television station that because of Florida’s 1992 Motor Voter Law they are not permitted to ask potential voters for proof of citizenship; and they can only investigate fraud if they get a tip.

Cole said attempts to pass voter ID laws have frequently been blocked by Democrats in the state legislature.

“Democrats in the state Senate don’t seem to understand what the public already gets—that requiring a photo ID to vote would strengthen election integrity in Colorado without placing an undue burden on voters.”

The difficulty in passing voter ID legislation in Colorado is similar to struggles faced by other states that attempt to pass similar laws.

In Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, the Obama administration has intervened to prevent the states from adopting voter ID laws.

The NAACP has gone even further, asking the United Nations to get involved in the issue. The group has petitioned the Human Rights Council asking it to intervene in the issue. The delegation asked the UN to launch a formal investigation into the spread of restrictive electoral laws.