SPECIAL COVERAGE: Thor Hearne’s “American Center for Voting Rights” (ACVR) GOP “Voter Fraud” Scam

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KEY BRAD BLOG ARTICLES IN THE SERIES SO FAR
(Most recent articles at bottom of list.)

03/22/05: The First Report Concerning the “American Center for Voting Rights”
Group shows up to testify at phony hearings on “Ohio Election Irregularities” held by House Administrative Comm. Chair Bob Ney (R-OH)

03/22/05: New ‘Non-Partisan’ ‘Voting Rights’ Org Appears Little More than Republican Front Group!

03/23/05: High-Level Republicans from the New ‘Non-Partisan’ ‘American Center for Voting Rights’ Explain Themselves…

03/24/05: ‘Voting Rights’ Group Leader Withholds Bush/Cheney/RNC Ties During Congressional Testimony!

03/24/05: Mystery Solved! Location of ‘American Center for Voting Rights’ Found! Exclusive Photographs!

03/25/05: Air America Picks up Our Story on the ACVR!

03/26/05: Help Counter the ACVR/GOP Disinformation Campaign!

03/28/05: ‘Non-Partisan’ Ring-Leaders of GOP ‘Voting Rights’ Front Group Currently Very Active Partisans!

03/29/05: Bush’s ‘Hometown’ Crawford Paper reports on ACVR!

03/30/05: Right-Wing Extremist ‘News’ Service Attempts to Legitimize Phony GOP ‘Voting Rights’ Group!

03/30/05: RNC Political Director Cites Report by RNC ‘Voting Rights’ Front Group to RNC Email List!
PLUS: ACVR has the inside skinny on the Baker/Carter Commission! ACVR News Release published just 24 minutes after commission was announced!

03/31/05: Revealing More About the Phony ‘Voting Rights’ Org and the Collusion of the Rightwing Echo Chamber of Friends Who Support It!
GOPUSA Runs CNS Story on GOP Front Group ACVR! The axis-of-evil-acronyms.

04/12/05: The ACVR Lands on the Baker/Carter Blue-Ribbon Election Reform Commission!
Anyone surprised?

04/14/05: RAW STORY EXPOSÉ FINDS ACVR COLLUDING WITH BAKER/CARTER COMMISSION!
Surprised yet? Story includes loads of other troubling related issues!

04/27/05: New ACVR Details from Columbus Free Press
Bob Fitraks connects a few more dots on the phony GOP Front Group.

06/22/05: ACVR Continues Attempts at Defrauding American Voters
Issue smokescreen press release in reply to DNC Election 2004 Report.
Preparing to release their own ‘Voter Fraud’ report even as Exec Director Thor Hearne lies on video tape.

08/2/05: ACVR Delivers Onslaught of Disinfo Today!
Releases Report, Six Press Releases Focusing on Democratic ‘Election Fraud’
Massive Republican Voter Disenfranchisement Virtually Unmentioned, Phony Quotes by ‘Democrat’ Used in Releases

08/2/05: ACVR Scams American Democracy
GOP Grateful, DNC Still Keeps Head in the Sand

08/3/05: Rightwingers, ‘News’ Sites Fall Hook, Line & Sinker for ACVR Scam Report
Blogs and ‘Journalists’ Alike Fall Over Themselves to Cover Phony GOP ‘Voting Rights’ Group Propaganda

08/8/05: ACVR Adds a ‘Democrat’ to Their Team! And he’s a Fake too!
Brian Lunde shows up as an ACVR scamster. They claim he’s a Democrat, but whaddaya know? He’s also works with Karl Rove, and is a donor to Bush/Cheney ’04 and to a PAC dedicated to “Maintaining a Republican Majority” — like all good Democrats, of course!

08/15/05: Indicted GOP Moneyman Abramoff Tied To ACVR, the Phony GOP ‘Voting Rights’ Group!
The DNC Finally Fights Back at the Republican Run ‘American Center for Voting Rights’ Hoax!
PLUS: Proof that Republicans only pretend to hate Marxists and More on ACVR’s Fake ‘Democrat’!

08/18/05: The Mainstream Media Catches on to the ACVR Fraudsters!
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review calls them and the Pennsylvania Republican Party out for the America and democracy-hating sheisters they are.

10/6/05: ‘Non-Partisan’ ‘Voting Rights’ Group Founder Works for White House!
ACVR’s Jim Dyke Moonlights to Push Bush Supreme Court Nominee
‘Honesty and Integrity’ in the Bush-Era Now at it’s Bushiest Level of All Time!

10/11/05: ‘Non-Partisan’ ‘Voting Rights’ Group Founder Now Works for Dick Cheney’s Office!
Will the “non-partisanship” ever stop?!

11/23/05: Ohio’s U.S. Rep. Bob Ney Reportedly on Verge of Indictment
Corrupt Ohio Congressman, who gave ACVR their “big break” in Congress, may be headed to slammer!

12/15/05: ACVR Frivolous Legal Attacks Against Legit Voting Groups Have All Collapsed

12/30/05: Connecting More Dots Between ACVR and More High-Level GOP Officials

1/10/06: The Soon-to-be-Indicted Rep. Bob Ney’s Connection to Ohio Electoral Fraud and More!
A BRAD BLOG EXPOSÉ: The dots begin to converge — big time — between Ney, former staffers turned Diebold lobbyists, Jack Abramoff, the ACVR, HAVA legislation, pay-offs and other top-level GOP operatives!

4/10/06: Karl Rove Thanks ACVR’s Thor Hearne for Work on ‘Clean Elections’ in 2000 and 2004

10/11/06: U.S. Elections Assistance Commission Withheld Report Showing ‘Voter Fraud’ (as Opposed to ELECTION Fraud) Not a Problem!
Democracy Hater, GOP Operative, Thor Hearne of the Phony Anti-American Front Group ‘American Center for Voting Rights’ is Back Spreading Propoganda for the Republicans!
And the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is Set to Help Them in a Hearing this Friday…

10/13/06: The EAC’s Buried Report on ‘Voter Fraud’ — or Actually Lack Thereof — and ‘Thor’ Hearne’s Continuing Loathesome Attempts to Destroy American Democracy
No Wonder Hearne’s Phony GOP Front-Group, ACVR, Didn’t Want to See the Report Released
They’re Named Three Times as the Only Group Forwarding the ‘Voter Fraud’ Bullshit!

10/16/06: Missouri Supreme Court Declares State Photo ID Laws Unconsitutional (Again!)
Court Rulings (and Facts) Continue to Pile Up Against Those Who Hate Democracy (Like Thor Hearne and the ACVR), Who Want to Keep YOU From Being Able to Vote!
Decision Echoes Other Such Findings in Georgia and Arizona…

10/27/06: Bush’s U.S. Elections Assistance Commission is Hopelessly Compromised, Misleading America and Utterly Failing in Their Job of Overseeing U.S. Elections
Current Chairman Paul DeGregorio Now Running a Desperate Misinformation Propaganda Campaign Just Days Before Election…

12/5/06: Discredited Mark F. ‘Thor’ Hearne’s Permanent Seat at the Discredited EAC Table
Founder of Phony Anti-Democracy GOP Front Group, Bush/Cheney Operative, Welcomed Again as ‘Expert’ at America’s Federal Elections Oversight Commission Hearings…

3/15/07: EXCLUSIVE: New Details on the Phony ‘Voter Fraud’ Angle in the U.S. Attorneys Purge Scandal…
An Insider’s Report from a New Mexico Election Attorney on the Firing of David Iglesias and the Rove/DoJ/Republican Efforts to Create a 2004 ‘Voter Fraud’ Scare in the State…
RELATED? – The GOP ‘Voter Fraud’ Front Group ACVR Goes Suddenly AWOL!

3/16/07: NY Times on the Phony ‘Voter Fraud’ Claims Behind U.S. Attorney Purge
More Evidence that the Bush Administration Used the Dept. of Justice for Little More Than a Blunt Political Instrument
Even as Democrats Continue to Rubber Stamp Wildly Inappropriate White House Appointments to Oversee the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission…

3/26/07: Evidence Suggests U.S. Attorney Firings May Have Been Part of White House Scheme to Help Game 2008 Election
Karl Rove Associate and GOP Operative Tim Griffin’s Appointment in Arkansas — and Others Like it — Are Worth Noting as the Scandal Continues to Unravel…

3/30/07: EAC Finally Releases Previously Withheld, 9 Month Old Report on ‘Voter ID’ Concerns After Congressional Prodding
One of Several Reports ‘Buried’ by EAC, Shows Drop in Voter Participation in Wake of Poll Restrictions, Is Shamelessly Described as ‘Draft’
Election Law Professor Warns: ‘Chance for EAC to be an Honest Broker Above Politics Are Fading’…

4/5/07: The GOP’s ACORN ‘Voter Fraud’ Canard Appears Again, This Time in U.S. Attorney Purge Scandal
NM’s David Iglesias Pressured by Republicans to Bring ‘Voter Fraud’ Charges Against Voter Registration Group
But Prosecutor Found No Case Worth Bringing…

4/11/07: U.S. ELECTION ASSISTANCE COMMISSION ALTERED FINAL REPORT ON ‘VOTER FRAUD’ FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES
NY Times Finds Original Bi-Partisan Draft Report, Buried by the EAC, Concluded Fears of ‘Voter Fraud’ Were Overblown
Altered, Politicized Report Follows Familiar White House Pattern, Brings Additional New Concerns About Continuing Status of EAC…
Guest Blogged by Arlen Parsa with additional reporting by Brad Friedman

4/15/07: Federal Judge Finds Against U.S. Dept. of Justice in Missouri ‘Voter Fraud’ Case
Democratic Secretary of State Acted Properly, Voter Registration Database Meets Federal Standards, No ‘Voter Fraud’ Found…

4/19/07: A Direct, As Yet Unreported Connection in the U.S. Attorney Purge Scandal Leading Straight to the White House
Arkansas U.S. Attorney Bud Cummins Was Fired Just After Reports Surfaced of Investigation into Law Firm of Top Level White House/GOP Operative and Close-Friend-of-Rove, Thor Hearne
Prosecutor Was Replaced by Rove Aide Timothy Griffin…

4/23/07: THE UNDERLYING CRIME: White House Interference into a U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Investigation in Missouri
High-Level White House, DoJ, Rove Operatives Went to Work While now-Fired Prosecutor Bud Cummins Was Building a Case Against Missouri Governor Matt Blunt and the WH Connected MO Law Firm Lathrope & Gage…

5/2/07: High-Level White House/DoJ Operative Thor Hearne Hired a High-Level White House/DoJ Operative to Put out Fire in Missouri Investigation Leading to Dismissal of U.S. Attorney
Powerful GOP Missouri Lawyer at Powerful GOP Missouri Law Firm Admits Bringing Powerful GOP Attorney William Mateja in to Manage DoJ Investigaton of Lathrop & Gage, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt
Firm Also Recently Hired Governor’s Sister Amy… More is Still to Come…

5/2/07: McClatchy: ‘Missouri Was Ground Zero’ For GOP ‘Voter Fraud’ Scam, Thor Hearne and ACVR at Center of Scheme
National Mainstream Media FINALLY Picks up on, Exposes the ‘Non-Partisan’ ‘American Center for Voting Rights’ Fraud…

5/7/07: EXCLUSIVE: ACORN Takes Control of High-Level GOP Front Group ACVR’s Internet Domain Names!
Abandoned Webspace of White House-Connected ‘Voter Fraud’ Group, ‘American Center For Voting Rights’, Purchased by DC Attorney; Handed Over to Non-Profit Which They Had Targeted for Years!
As More Allegations of DoJ Corruption in Missouri — ‘Ground Zero’ for the ACVR Republican Fraudsters — Continue to Reach Towards the Oval Office, Underscore Need for Congressional Investigation…

5/17/07: CEO RESIGNS FROM MISSOURI LEGAL FIRM EMBROILED IN U.S. ATTORNEY PURGE, GOP ‘VOTER FRAUD’ SCAM
Is the Noose Tightening Around Lathrop & Gage, Thor Hearne, Gov. Matt Blunt and the American Center for Voting Rights Corrupt Law Firm?

5/18/07: Finally: The ACVR’s ‘Voter Fraud’ Scam Outed in All Their Ignominious Shame in New Slate Article!
Rick Hasen’s: ‘The Fraudulent Fraud Squad – The Incredible, Disappearing American Center for Voting Rights’

6/6/07: NPR Covers the American Center for Voting Rights (ACVR) ‘Voter Fraud’ Scam
‘Liberal Blogger Brad Friedman’ Interviewed in Report on Disappearance of GOP ‘Vote Fraud’ Fraudsters and Their White House Connections
Nobody from ACVR Agrees to Speak to Them on Record, But the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Says Thor Hearne Has Some Complaints About The BRAD BLOG…

6/7/07: Post-Dispatch: ACVR’s Thor Hearn Blames The BRAD BLOG for His Demise
(Imagine What We Could Have Done if the GOP Gave US the Million Dollars That Thor Had?!)

6/12/07: Wikipedia Entry for GOP ‘Voter Fraud’ Front Group Co-Founder, Thor Hearne, Scrubbed of References to ACVR
Latest Edit Performed by Someone at Hearne’s Lawfirm, Lathrop & Gage, According to Rick Hasen of Election Law Blog…

6/13/07: GOP Vote Fraudster Thor Hearne’s Attempt to Disappear Himself from Wikipedia Continues
PLUS: The GOP ‘Voter Fraud’ Legislation-Influencing Front Group Lied on Their Tax Disclosure Forms, Claiming They DID NOT Attempt to ‘Influence Legislation’…

6/15/07: Hearne Created In-State Missouri ‘Voter Fraud’ Front Group, Funded It With ACVR Dollars
Group Was Run by Another Shady Character Involved in Missouri Fee Office Scandal, Connected to Jack Abramoff Groups…
–Guest Blogged by Howard Beale of Fired Up! Missouri

6/15/07: ‘Hello,’ He Lied: Thor Hearne Says ‘No Conspiracy Afoot’ Behind Effort to Scrub ACVR References from His Wikipedia Page
Tells Paper It Was Marketing Department at His Lawfirm, Lathrop & Gage, Who Dunnit
Beyond That, Has No Idea Why His ‘Client’ ACVR’s Website Disappeared…
PLUS: More on Todd Graves & Tim Griffin…

6/19/07: Three Fresh Thor Hearne/ACVR Exposés for Your Phony ‘Voter Fraud’/US Attorney Purge Pleasure…
Coverage at Columbus FreePress, TPMCafe and National Journal…

7/1/07: ACVR Reached into New Mexico U.S. Attorney Firing; More Details Unearthed in GOP ‘Voter Fraud’ Front Group’s Central Role in Republican National Strategy to Game Elections
Founder, Front Man, Thor Hearne, Crawls Out from Under His Rock to Provide a Few Laughs
Even as His Vote Suppression Efforts Continue to Haunt the DoJ, America’s Electoral System…

8/26/07: Another Media Outlet Digs Into the Nefarious Thor Hearne and His ‘American Center for Voting Rights’
Many Questions, Legal and Otherwise, Still Unanswered Concerning the Mysteriously-Funded ‘Non-Partisan’ GOP Front Group

12/12/07: Thor Hearne, the GOP’s ‘Voter Fraud’ Fraudster, Gets His Groove Back
Files Amicus Brief to SCOTUS in Indiana Photo ID Case, on Behalf of New Congressional ‘Clients’
Dems Indignantly Issue More Harshly Worded Statements, as Voter Suppression Mainlined by Bush DoJ…

3/10/08: ‘Myth of Voter Fraud’ Hearings to be Held This Week in Senate
Focus Likely to be on GOP Voter Fraud Front Group ‘American Center for Voting Rights’ as New Mexico’s Fired US Attorney David Iglesias, Missouri’s SoS Robin Carnahan and Others Are Set to Testify on the Republican-Run Voter Disenfranchisement Scheme…

3/13/08: Thor Hearne Crony Testifies on Photo ID Restrictions at U.S. Senate Hearing on the ‘Myth of Voter Fraud’
Univ. of Missouri’s Jeffrey Milyo Can’t Recall Name of Thor’s ACVR-Funded Group That Funded His ‘Voter Fraud’ Study
‘An organization called the Center for Ethics Research, or Something Like That,’ Says Academic When Asked Who Gave Him Grant Money…
— Guest Blogged by Howard Beale of Fired Up! Missouri

5/12/08: GOP Vote-Suppressor-in-Chief Thor Hearne Deserves a Raise, Gets a Boost from the NYTimes, and Continues His Unapologetic Assault on Nuns, Vets, Students, Hurricane Victims, Married People, the Elderly, and Palsy Victims
You’re a Great American, Thor Hearne…

5/13/08: NYTimes Cleanses Thor Hearne’s Record, Scrubs Front-Page Reference to the GOP Vote-Suppressor’s ‘American Center for Voting Rights’
Paper Fails to Note Change to Article, Hearne’s Ties to Bush/RNC, Discredited Background as Partisan Operative…

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