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tv   Fox News Reporting  FOX News  April 22, 2012 6:00pm-7:00pm PDT

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amway conveys quality. to learn more, contact an amway independent business owner. >> election problems. >> someone forged this? >> that's correct. >> phrase in speech. ugly charges. >> talk about jim crow. is it voter id? >> absolutely. >> even to murder. >> even to lynchings. >> what's at stake in america. >> you think there was voter fraud? >> i don't think. i know there was voter fraud. >> you can't run a system that is going to be 100 percent error free. >> if the fix is in. >> it is oddly ironic we have an election coming up and they are saying we can't do it.
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>> fox news report stealing your vote. reporting from new york city here is eric shawn. >> er law used to tell a joke. after i die, bury me in louisiana so i can stay active in politics. a clever line and at times you have to chuckle at the length some politicians will go to win an election. when that happens it may be you who is being robbed. your vote canceled out. fox news has traveled across the country to investigate charges of voter fraud and ask the question how easy is it even in this day and age to steal your vote? >> stonington, connecticut. >> i was surprised because they said this wasn't possible. >> what was not possible that that her deceased mother voted in 2007. apparently she did. the town clerk's record clearly shows mrs. dreary voted more than 7 years after she died.
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>> it was an impossible situation to me. >> it is what most americans think of as po will tension voter fraud. election officials blamed ter cal errors. others have led to stolen vote and to prosecution. think what happened in oakland county, michigan, two years ago. the head of the local democratic party michael mcginnis and his room nate jason vow arred tried to get several tea parties on the ballot during the 2010 elections. some candidates had no idea their nameings were being used. bower notarized fake fileings for nem. >> this fake tea party was designed from the beginning to be deceptive to confuse voters and siphon votes from candidates. >> bower received fines and pro gages mcginnis received similar
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sentence. >> did you try to steal it? >> prosecutors say politicians stole an election by faking absentee ballots. so far four democratic public officials and political operatives pled guilty to the scheme. the idea to get democratic candidates also on the ballot of the working families party line in the 2009 primary. the more ballot lines they have to vote on the more vote they will get. it is charged they did this by filling out and submitting fraudulent ab sen stee ballots like this one like this one. >> did you vote? >> no. >> they have your vote at the board of elections? >> they do. >> it falsely claims she was attending a work conference in boston. brian says his vote was stolen, too. >> did you fill out an absentee ballot? >> he was home recovering from a medical procedure. >> your vote was a fraud. >> it was. >> in january 2nd officials face the first trial.
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edward mcdonna and former city councilman michaela porta. >> you did nothing wrong? >> absolutely nothing. >> as far as i know. >> march 13th a mistrial was declared but they will be retri retried. two others including former city councilman also face trial. >> nobody tried to steate will- steal the election. >> they said this stuff was phony and fake and were not real votes. >> i did nothing wrong. >> one political operative admitted absentee ballot is routine a normal political tactic not just in new york. this 1998 florida department of law enforcement report calls absentee ballots the quote tool of choice for those inclined to commit voter fraud. they should know that year the court through out the results of miami's 1997 mayoral election which was nonpartisan. when it was determined 5,000
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fraudulent absentee ballots had been cast. >> we are going to have a nice orderly hearing. >> an appeals court known james kroer roll low four years after saurez had seemingly won. most decided nyu bren noncenter of justice tsay voter fraud is rare and an issue that is over blown. you may get a different take for those who run for office. >> how easy is it to steal an election? >> if you have someone willing to do it it is a fairly easy thing to do. >> archer davis told us while campaigning eldest mate the number of clean votes he would need to over come the dirty ones cast against him. he says there are a variety of ways to try to steal an election. >> you can fake absentee ballots. a oo you can do that and that has been. >> if that is easy to do you can do it. >> if you have an attempt to do
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it you are willing to do it it is a fairly easy thing to do>> brooks county georgia absentee ballots were submitted for the local school board. after aaccounted two dan cats were losing by a sizable margin had a reversal of fortune. they went on to win the general election. charges stuffed in the ballot box using the ten ballots. two others arrested in the alleged scheme. their trial is pending. >> mississippi nwacp official was convicted of ten counts of fraudulently casting absentee ballots during the 2007 democratic primary. her dna was found oint ner seals of the ballots. she is sush r serving a five year prison term. during the 2010 primary in
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florida derek henry and genesis robinson illegally obtained absentee ballots for 90 people during the reelection campaign. they were caught because a large group of absentee ballot requests were sent on-line using a single e-mail address. after the arrest henry's lawyer says he was trying to help african americans who didn't have internet access to vote. >> instead of being accused of a crime derek henry should be applauded for helping these people attempt to vote. he entered a frpretrial intervention program admitting guilt. he gave up the 4 year term to run. his 799 votes tramped his two opponents who each received over 200. >> county commission probate judge, sheriff, the local level with the powers concentrated. >> is that where voter fraud is
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wide ved? >> where it has formed an impact. who your sheriff is probably matters more than who the governor of the state is and many of these people. >> dag began county, west virgin virginia. >> sheriff, why did you try to steal the vote. >> he was term limited running for circuit clerk in the primary election. he was looking to unseed democrat. >> we were ahead and they came out well we found some absentee ballots. the final tally was we lost. >> bowman admitted to falsifying more than 100 absentee ballot applications even voting some themselves. he plead guilty to a conspiracy charge. election fraud charges even touch a race for the highest office in the land. >> did you fine thsign this petf they can.
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they faked petitions to have then candidates barack obama hillary clinton on the ballot for president. >> i didn't sign for barack obama. >> someone forged this? >> that's correct. >> so many signatures that were reportedly forged president obama may not have legally qualified for the ballot. long time democratic chairman butch morgan who allegedly voted the scheme and three election and party officials have been indicted including dustin blythe who worked in the county board of voter registration and is accused of voting the obama at the time tiggses. >> -- petitions. >> all four pled not glty. in indiana in february the state's topple election official republican secretary of state charlie white was himself convicted of voter fraud, not for trying to steal the election but for registering to vote at his ex-wife's house. allegations of fraud in the which is whiith us which is
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recall. that after the break -- wisconsin recall. [ male announcer ] while othe are content to imitate, we'll contin to innovate. the lexus rx. why settle for a copy when you can own the original? see your lexus dealer.
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>> remember wisconsin, 2011, republican governor scott walker picked a fight with the unions and won. then his opponents started a recall campaign. as soon as the petition started circulating walker's allies cried fraud. were they also crying wolf? >> november, 2011, wisconsin democrats got 540,000 wisconsin rote voters to sign a petition say they wanted a reelection in 2012. as soon as they started collecting signatures walker supporters began raising charges of possible fraud. >> i mablg they will get a l- - image they will get a lot of
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signatures legal and illegal. >> it was raised by governor walker shichl. >> we had the local affiliates someone signing it proudly saying they signed 80 recall petitions. in the report they cheated for bush so hey i am going to cheat to get scott walker out of here. he later said he was joking. this woman seemed serious when she talked to us. >> i have signed petitions there, too. >> you are saying you signed more than one petition? >> uh-huh. >> that is not illegal unless the serial signer is intentionally trying to defraud the system. >> whatever the intent it can have major consequences. >> if anti walker forces succeed it will only be the third governor in u.s. history. >> what if anti walker forces reached the goal to phony or duplicate signatures that would be stealing an election as brian steg law a cons serve tive watch
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dog group. >> a democrats fill recall petitions with hundreds of thousands of signatures. are they legit? it seems leblgs officials who have never seen a recall effort on this scale have no mechanism to rule out ineligible signatures. it is the board's job to check the name. but it says it will not strike duplicate names or even obviously fake ones. >> we may certainly note fictitious names we will flag them but we will not strike them. >> it will be up to walker and volunteers to prove which signatures are bogus. (cheers) >> january 17th, the democrats office contain more than 900 thousand signatures almost twice as many needed to trigger the governor's recall. >> today we are making history.
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thank you, we did it. (cheers) >> the state board was granted 60 days to examine more than 150,000 pages. but board director kevin kennedy reiterates the office will not be crossing off fraudulent signatures. >> the fraud issue that is raise through the challenge office that rests with the office. >> in other words, the walker camp. republican party vice chair. >> there is a reason for concern. we have seen an up tick in voter fraud in wisconsin in the last several years. >> they only have 30-days to try to strike more than 400 thousand signatures. >> someone signing for someone else on this form and of course that would be committing fraud. >> evidence of a circulator of the position has filled in some of the information. >> we want to make sure wisconsin voters are not people that haare being disenfranchise
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by people signing their names. >> that is a serious concern. can unproven allegations or fraud also undermine the leblgss. new mexico 2011 republican secretary of state diana durant lost an investigation into potential voting by noncitizens. her staff cross-checked 1.16 million voter registration against motor vehicle and social security data base. findings less than shocking. over several election cycles only 19 votes even appeared to be cast by noncitizens. not exactly the culture of corruption she alleged. she had a hard time explaining that to state lawmakers. >> do neve actual evidence of voter fraud taking place? >> the answer to that question is a difficult one to answer at times. it's hard for people to say yes or no to this process. >> the walker camp in having a hard time uncovering rampant fraud, too, in wisconsin.
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>> any reasonable person looks at this understands there will be a recall election. >> in late february they relent sort of. they don't have enough time to go through all of the petitions if they don't back off the fraud claim. democrats scoffed on the state party web site saying quote the real fraud here has been scott walker. whatever the case republicans and democrats redirected away from drumming up votes from the june 5th reelection. it will not bolster confidence in the final outcome. when we return he could not tell a lie. but did he buy votes. older than the usa after the break. .a. after the break. c'mon dad! i'm here to unleash my inner cowboy. instead i g heartburn. [ horse neighs ] hold up partner. prilos isn't for fast relief. try alka-seltzer. it kills heartburn fast.
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. >> new allegations of voert fraud are popping up almost every week. it's an american tradition older than the nation itself. george washington the father of our could be tree the man who could not tell a lie. a politician who bribed voters with booze. yes, washington himself wouldn't above trying to steal an election back in 1758 when he ran for a seat in the virginia house. >> he was too busy being a general in the army and not busy enough getting out the vote. >> in an will election was histori historian. >> they compensated voters with ale and beer. >> look at his receipt. he bought 158 gallons of booze
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which amounts to a quart and a half of liquor per voter but it was an inkling of what was to come. as our nation grew so did the political machines. one sin nonnews with corruption dominated new york city politics. >> they would pay people to vote. pay other people not to vote. pay people who counted the vote. you name it they did it. >> the best known leader said quote i don't think there was ever a fair or honest election in the city of new york. but corruption and fraud wasn't limited to local elections. it was found at the highest level. for instance it was perhaps the most public and tested presidential election ever. it came came down to florida a small panel decided by one vote to reward the president's seat to the republican who had not won the popular vote. bush verses gore in 2000 no
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rutherford haze verses killman in 1776. >> it was done by the tools of the frayed throwing out ballots until you had enough paid ballots intimidating local officials. >> with the number of elected votes in the south congress set up a commission to decide the presidency along party lines. >> you are saying in that race they stole the election. >> corruption was still rampant in the 20th century. johnson engaged in hank key pank key and tom pender gast in the 1920s and 30s. one of his proteges was harry s. truman. >> he was an honest man. >> he was noted journalist and historian. >> they want to keep him clean keep him over there and they will be performing their black on the side. >> another national political
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figure had closer ties to stolen election claims. >> lyndon johnson had a nickname land slide lyndon. his first successful win was by a tiny margin. the question has been how many votes were stolen. >> kennedy's running bid in 60. another election tilted by questionable voting. it started in west virginia primary where kennedy was running against hubert humphrey. >> he was a younger fresher energetic candidate. but kennedy's father, joe kennedy didn't want to count on that. money was spread around in west virginia. kennedy said his father warned him. >> richard nixon democrats long
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nicknamed tricky dick. some say jfk seemed to be the one with something up his sleeve. >> word went out that illinois needed kennedy. ballots were manufactured. other ballots disappeared. >> you think president kennedy stole the election? >> many people who went back and looked at the evidence said yes. >> some republican leaders said nixon cou nixon should challenge the result but he said it would upset our already divided nation. >> 40 years later another two term vice president finished second in a close race. he did not go away so quietly. it was 2000 bush verses gore. looked like a late night narrow margin victory of bush ended up with him retracting his concession. charges and counter charges a bad ballot. voter fraud, intimidation and
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suppression. mum ti multiple legal cases and supreme court ruling that ended the election. >> people were still grumbling about the election and got the george w. bush presidency off on the wrong foot. in a way it just never recovered from that. nobody likes to lose. cheating is much worse. >> the acorn that brewed into a massive tanning ♪
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u.s. and afghan leaders have said to make a deal. it lays out the roll after the scheduled 2014 drawl of combat troops. it involves billions of dollars in federal aid for the fragile government and what the u.s. troops would do for years to come. details remain to be worked out with our president and president karzai would sign any agreement. now backs to fox news, reporting stealing your vote. >> voter registration fraud. few groups are more associated with that than acorn. >> you can register again and again and again. >> association of community organizations for born now or acorn made national headlines forr for allegations of filing countless voter registrations with fraudulent names. >> how many times did you sign
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up? >> like 73 times. >> 73 times? >> he signed up by acorn. >> i thought that i could help other people. >> mickey mouse appeared on ap an application in florida. tony roam mow in nevada hundreds of thousands of registrations were rejected by leblgs officials. criminal invest dwagss were done by 50 states. 50 people were arrested in connection with acorn related voter registration fraud. 30 pled guilty. acorn itself in las vegas acorn pled guilty for voters. >> the scandals have killed the organization. >> voter registration officials hated acorn because they felt the group was counsnducting illl activities with these fake names. >> they were never proven, though.
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>> he ran the organization for 38 years starting in 1970 and claims it got a bad rap for the voter registration drive. >> you are talking to me about things after i left in 2008 but i think by law and every place we were required to turn in everything. if you gave me your voter registration form and you said mickey mouse i know you don't live in orlando but by obligation we have to turn that in. >> do you think acorn was unfairly blamed? >> totally unfairly blamed. >> what do we do with the fake voter registration names handed in by acorn. >> they were only a huge problem if somebody tried to vote for acorn. >> how do we know they didn't? >> we are pretty sure they didn't. they have a different agenda to keep eligible voters away from the poll. obama voiced that concern during the 2008 campaign. >> what i want to make sure of is this is not used as an excuse
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for the kind of voter suppression tactics we have seen in the past. >> when he got to the white house president obama's justice department turned that concern into a crusade. a crusade against voter id. voter id laws, the push for them and the push back. and later... >> i like al franken. >> they are all fellas they all voted illegally. would we have obama care if they hadn't? investigation continues after the break. only $79.99 for a lucid by lg ?
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.... >> eric: the civil war end >> the civil war ended slavery. powerful whites made it hard for black people to vote. the civil rights movement helped change that. we are hear charges of voter suppression and voter id. >> let everybody hear about how excited we are. >> on may 18th it's history and symbolism. she after all was the first woman and first minority elected governor of south carolina. a state with a sad history of keeping blacks from voting and whites in power. and the new law would require every south carolina lynniian t a picture id into the voting booth. it sparked ugly charges that haley is con firispireing with old bigotry to steal elections
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in her state. but haley thinks south carolina's real problem today is votes of law abiding citizens are being canceled out by illegally cast ballots. >> this protects the elderly, protects people who may do their absentee ballot. this protects everybody. we want to make sure we are saying they are who they say they are. >> without voto id. >> i don't want dead people voting in the state of california. >> there is evidence that dead people voting is a real problem according to a statewide investigation in south carolina department of motor fovehicles. 953 ballots were cast by voters who were deceased. but the state elections commission director disputes those kindifindings. the report came out after she signed the voter id law but hasn't stopped the criticism of it. >> were you surprised the reaction you got from this? >> protecting the office is the
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most important thing we can do. >> 13 other states passed photo id laws including indiana whose voter id law was ruled constitutional by the u.s. supreme court in 2008. for all of these reasons governor haley says she was stunned when president obama's attorney general eric holder quickly blocked her from enforcing the law under the voting right acts of 1965 which gives the department of justice extraordinary power in states with histories of voter suppression. >> honoring our democracy demands we move any and all barriers to voting. >> he declined our reported requests for an interview but made his views clear elsewhere. protecting voter id laws for instance the justice department claims there is significant evidence that the texas state legislature intended to suppress minority votes. hillary shelton the naacp says holder is right. >> jim crow is dead and buried.
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james b. crow esquire is alive and well more insidious and trickyer than ever before. >> jim crow was the area of institutionalized segregation from reconstruction to the mid 1960s in which many southern states prevented black from voting using poll taxes to even murders and lynchings. >> more than 50 years later america now has a black president. shelton charges supporters of voter id laws want to turn back the clock. >> suppress votes all together. that is unamerican. that is undemocratic. >> voter id laws are not the only tactic he points to. take the 2010 maryland governor's race in which gop governor early faced off against martino maley. republicans sent out this robo call to more than 100,000 voters predominantly african americans. >> i am calling to let everyone
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know that governor o'malley and president obama have been successful. our goals have been met. >> prosecutors say the goal was to convince any one who answered there was no need to go to the polls which were still open. >> we are okay. everything is fine. the only thing left is to watch it on tv tonight. >> it didn't work. the republican lost and his campaign aid was later raised. the jury found him guilty of four counts of voter fraud. >> in addition to a violation of the law and more importantly to me it was in fact a profound personal failure. >> i have paid and will continue to pay the price of that failure. >> according to the naacp the new are voter suppression of a much higher order. they filed a complaint in geneva with the united nations human rights council that body that includes chien dmau, cuba and saudi arabia calling it the most vicious coordinated center
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attack to narrow participation in our democracy since the early 20th century. >> we have been going at it trishingy a slight of hand and utilize the u.n. has a tool. >> it's not about jim crow is voter id similar? >> absolutely. >> even to murder and lynching. >> we can argue it's not as violent or bloody, bottom line is what kind of effect does it have? i was in alabama not too long ago in birmingham. i met a guy who was 75 years old. it took him four-days in alabama to get that free photo id. people are going to be turned off and forego voting at all. >> former alabama democratic congressman arthur davis hasn't bought it. >> i never heard of a single voter in my 68 percent african american voter district complain to me about voter id being burdensome or difficult. >> you have never had any voter ever say i couldn't have an id i
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couldn't vote. >> not a single one. the idea that low income african communities are bothered or intimidated or burdened by attaching just a few responsibilities to their all important core right of voting, it's a condescending idea and patronizing idea. if the law works the same with respect to everybody, it is free and clear of whatever history of bigotry or racial anamis exists in a state like south carolina. >> when they are saying they are denying people i would ask them tell me who is being denied. anybody who can't get to the department of motor voer vehicles to get a photo id. >> any without an id call tore a lift? >> after three weeks out of 5 million people in our state. that's all we got. >> they said fine we will give them a ride. 23. >> you think the administration has been trying to jim this up for political purposes?
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>> it is oddly ironic we have an election coming up. it is oddly ironic we are trying to get this passed before that election and that they are stopping us saying we can't do it. >> charges of voting rights hypocrisy are not new to the obama justice department. >> do you swear or affirm -- >> difficult with the doj voting rights section seat when holder took office. >> i am here today to testify about the department of justice final disposition for the new black panther party case. >> the new black panther party case was sparked by this video. it shows members outside philadelphia the one with the billy club called voters white devils and told them you are about to be ruled the black man crack earl. the bush justice department charged the new black panther party and tlae of the members with voter intimidation. after vo holder became attorney general they dismissed the charges against the members. but obtained a junction against
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one. holder denied race had any role in the decision. but an outraged testified obama department officials took the position that the voting rights laws did not protect whites, only minorities. white voters have an interest in being able to go to the polls without having race haters standing at the entrance of a polling place with a billy club in his hand hurling racial slurs at voters. >> coats no longer works at justice. he's in private practice. one of the clients the state of south carolina. it recently hired him to defend the state against his old boss. >> talking to a minority female governor of the state of south carolina. there's nothing i want more than to make sure any one who wants to vote can. >> did illegal votes give democrats what they needed to make the obama agenda law? an eye opening investigation
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>> eric: many of cases we told you about involve local races but it doesn't take many votes to steal an election. it's a different story on the state or national level. illegal votes do decide one of those elections, the stakes for all of us are huge. >> did illegal ballots cast by people like these, convicted felons lost their voting rights decide an election that changed america. >> do younk >> i don't know. but i hope it did. >> the story begins the morning after the 2008 election. minnesota's republican senator norm coleman thought he defeated
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al fraipg ken and won a second term by 725 votes. >> where we are today is me being humbled and grateful for the victory that the voters gave us last night. >> that was great news for republicans. barack obama had defeated john mccain for a white house. a coleman victory over al franken would keep him from filibuster proof. coleman's tiny margin of victory triggered an automatic recount. it also alarmed dan mcgraph the executive director of the minnesota majority a conservative government watch dog group. >> you think there was voter fraud in the 2008 race? >> i didn't think there was, i know there was. >> the political charged recount battle unfolding the minnesota majority ran its own investigation. mcgrath thought he found a smoking gun. >> convicted felons still on paper still serving probation
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ineligible to vote voted in large numbers in the 2008 election. >> how did he reach that conclusion? they compared two data bases from computer. first people who voted the second people charged with felonies. that search turned up hundreds of names. the minnesota majority suspected were felons who voted illegally. by then the state supreme court already declared frank enthe winner by a razor thin margin of 312 votes. >> the story wasn't over for ana mcgrath with his long list of people suspected of voting illegally. >> who did you go to? >> brought it to county attorneys. under minnesota law the county attorney upon receiving affidavit is compelled to investigate find probable cause and prosecute. >> what happened next is one of the most extensive crack downs on voter fraud in recent history.
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the information indicates there were 175 convictions of felons voting illegally and 60 plus cases are pending. you would think dan mcgrath would be pleased. he is not. >> the number of felons being convicted are not the number of felons that voted while they weren't supposed to. >> mhow many did you find voted in that election? >> 1,000 voted while they were ineligible vote. >> if that is true the actual number of felons who illegally voted is larger than the number of convictions. you a you have to intend to vote illegally to be guilty. hudson is prosecutor for voter fraud. he convicted 16 people based in if part on mcgrath's list. >> is it possible for a felon to vote illegally admit it confess to it and say because he didn't intend to do that they can get away with it? >> yes. it is. that's why some of our counties in minnesota received hundreds
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of referrals and yet prosecutors a number of small cases. >> to mcgrath that's hundreds of votes that should not have been counted. >> if they weren't in the mix what could have happened? >> the leblgs could have gone to coleman. >> so frank enbenefited from the illegal votes? >> likely. from the research we have seen on the voter proclivity it appears it was likely to benefit al franken. >> the race is 212 votes between franken and coleman. you think voting illegally could have tipped that election? >> i have no way of knowing who the felons unlawfully voted for. >> she was the ramsey attorney convicted 7 felons for voting illegally. >> i am highly skeptical that felons voted for one candidate
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or another. >> working on the list we went door to door. >> did you vote for franken? >> yes. >> franken? >> al franken. >> we talked to 10 of those who voted illegally. 9 said they voted for franken. it wasn't a scientific sample but it is consistent with academic studies that found they voted democratic. in an election so close other factors could have tilted it one way or the other. we wonder what the candidates think about this. senator franken declined our request for an interview. former senator coleman did not. >> felons voted illegally in heavily democratic counties it could have turned the election. >> very dealt with the issues of felons voting illegally. in the end it is what it is. i don't spend time fretting. >> he still acknowledges the staggering difference a handful of votes could have made for all
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americans. >> obama care doesn't pass if the results of the minnesota election is different. $850 billion stimulus package cast on a partisan vote doesn't pass if the minnesota race is different. >> he also recognizes another consequence of fraud that it can shake citizen's faith in the system. >> voter fraud has happened in the past and i presume it will happen in the future. but democracy flourishes because of citizen's confidence in those who represent them. if you undermine that confidence, it really hurts the democratic process. >> many of the most corrupt dictatorships in history have held leblgss. amazingly they always win. almost nobody is fooled. in america even when our system doesn't run perfectly, the overwhelming majority of voters remain confident their ballots do count. they should feel that way. election fraud can only undermine the belief that our leaders act with the consent of the government.
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only vigilance and prudence ensure that it does. i am eric shawn, that's our show. thanks for watching. li you guys okay? yeah. ♪ [ man ] i had a great time. thank you, it was really fun. ♪ [ crash ] i'm going to write down my number, but don't use it. [ laughing ] ♪ [ engine turns over ] [ male announcer ] the all-new subaru impreza®. experience love that lasts. ♪ laces? really? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like -- there's no charge for the bag. thanks. i know a quiet little place where we can get some work done. there's a three-prong plug. i have club passes. [ male announcer ] get the mileage card with special perks on united, like a free checked bag, united club passes, and priority boarding. thanks. ♪
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