Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is the first national
candidate ever to hire ACORN, a controversial non-profit accused of
voter fraud across the country, for get out the vote activities.
Obama’s campaign paid $800,000 to a subsidiary of the
liberally-leaning non-profit Association of Community Organizers for
Reform called Citizens Services Incorporated campaign to increase voter
turnout.
This information, however, was not properly disclosed to the
Federal Election Commission. The Obama campaign said it hired CSI to do
“polling, advance work and staging events” according to reports
submitted to the FEC during the Democratic primary.
The FEC said the Obama campaign needed to disclose ACORN was
engaging in get out the vote activities last August. At the time the
Obama campaign called the mistake a “clerical error.”
To date, ACORN has been accused of voter fraud in 15 states this election cycle.
Obama has close ties to the organization. Before becoming a
member of the Illinois State Senate, Obama represented ACORN in a
lawsuit to help push for “Motor Voter” laws to make it easier for
low-income persons to vote.
Later, as director of the Woods Fund and Chairman of the Board
of Chicago Annenberg Challenge Obama helped steer funds to ACORN
through various grants.
Obama sought ACORN’s endorsement in the Democratic primary
telling ACORN members, “Even before I was an elected official, when I
ran Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack
dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work.”
“Project Vote” is the name ACORN’s voter registration drives
are called. Obama worked for Project Vote for a period of roughly seven
months in 1992.
ACORN endorsed Obama for president in February 2008.
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