ACORN leaders: Allegations against us are partisan attacks that will melt away

Several ACORN leaders held a conference call to try to dispense the allegations and rumors surrounding their organization. ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, seeks to make change in poor and middle income communities by taking action such as fighting against predatory lending and working to get living wages.

Right wingers are manufacturing a “so-called crisis of voter fraud,” said Brian Kettenring, the head organizer of Florida ACORN and spokesman for national ACORN, “and frankly they’re having some success.” They are doing this in order to pass legislation aimed at “constricting the electorate, narrowing the electorate, keeping people from being able to vote. That’s the big picture of what this is about,” said Kettenring.

ACORN partnered with Project Vote in a non-partisan effort to register middle and lower income citizens, primarily minorities, to vote. Although they have been hugely successful and have registered 1.3 million citizens, they have been the subject of much controversy and many allegations of voter fraud.

Michael Slater, Executive Director of Project Vote, explained in detail the way in which ACORN registers people. Every voter registration card is reviewed, and if it is questionable we turn it over to election authorities, said Slater. Slater said that there were some instances in which partisans turned in fraudulent cards, then incited ACORN as the perpetrator in vote fraud.

ACORN has been the target of similar voting fraud accusations in past elections, but Kettenring pointed out that investigations into ACORN have not found any evidence of voter fraud. “There are a lot of allegations out there,” said Kettenring, “but really at the end of the day they will melt away, and amount to nothing to what they are which is a partisan attack.”