Minnesota Supreme Court Passes the Buck
The release of a House oversight committee report alleging the systematic commission of numerous serious crimes by the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) yesterday deepened Minnesota Majority’s concerns about the integrity of Minnesota’s elections.
Meanwhile, the state’s Supreme Court
issued a ruling asserting that it does not have original jurisdiction to Hear Minnesota Majority’s case that was focused on a discrepancy of vote totals. In April, it was found that at least 40,000 more ballots were counted than there were records of voters who cast them in the statewide voter registration system.
The facts aren’t in dispute. Secretary Ritchie admitted to the discrepancy and all of the factual evidence in the case was provided by the secretary of state’s office. The court’s order to dismiss the case was without prejudice, meaning the Supreme Court didn’t rule on the merits of the case, only jurisdiction. In fact, the order states Minnesota Majority’s intention is a “laudable goal,” and goes on to suggest submitting the petition to the office of Administrative Hearings, the venue the Supreme Court believes is the appropriate starting point for the complaint.
Attorney for the plaintiffs, Erick Kaardal believes that the court’s decision is in error. “The statewide voter registration system is the lynchpin to the integrity of Minnesota’s elections. By sending the plaintiffs to lower tribunals, the court has essentially excused Secretary of State Mark Ritchie from his duties to accurately update the SVRS in a timely manner after the 2008 election,” he said.
Election integrity is becoming a hot issue, not just in Minnesota, but around the nation. More and more Irregularities are being found in several states. Prosecutions for election fraud are underway around the country and ACORN is often found to be in the middle of the controversies.
ACORN has been deeply involved in Minnesota’s elections for years. They’ve had their hand in electing Minnesota’s chief elections official (Secretary Ritchie) through financial and worker support. They take credit for tens of thousands of voter registrations in the run up to the 2008 election and we’ve already uncovered a lot of serious problems with our election records. It’s at least a little ironic that on the day the US Congress released an 88-page document alleging racketeering and money laundering by ACORN, Minnesota’s Supreme Court declined to hear evidence of election irregularities in Minnesota, a state where ACORN has been extraordinarily involved in the election process.
In the court’s 6-page order to dismiss, the chief justice states, “the time for contesting any irregularity in the 2008 election is long since passed,” in reference to Minnesota Statute 209.03, which states, notice of an election contest shall be served and filed within 7 days after the canvass is completed.
The irony continues. No one could have even known about the vote total discrepancy until late April, because the county auditors and secretary of state failed to meet statutory deadlines – in part, the very reason Minnesota Majority filed suit in the first place. If you dwell on that concept for too long, the paradoxical logic loop that ensues may cause your entire field of vision to become obscured by an intractable expanse of bright blue, followed by an involuntary restart of your brain.
The Help America Vote Act requires voter histories to be updated, “immediately.” State statute allows 6 weeks. Whether these concepts are compatible is probably debatable, but the reasoning behind the federal language, “immediately” comes into sharp focus.
In this particular instance, the way state statutes are structured, the Supreme Court order renders them unenforceable and even meaningless. Citizen intervention to protect the integrity of Minnesota elections appears impotent.
In light of the new congressional report, and dismissal by the Supreme Court of its thus-far undisputed case, Minnesota Majority is reiterating its call for investigation into irregularities in Minnesota’s election records.
Over the past three months, Minnesota Majority has discovered records in the statewide voter registration system that indicate deceased people, convicted felons and non-citizens voted in the 2008 election. Evidence of double-voting and voter registrations with non-deliverable addresses was also found.
In Minnesota Majority’s view, there is only one sure way to prevent the kinds of errors and potential abuse that have led to so much doubt in the integrity of Minnesota’s elections: Require photo ID to vote.
If this issue is important to you, there are three ways to take direct and immediate action. Don’t delay. We can’t afford to hand another election over to errors and abuse. The stakes are too high.
Take Action:
Sign the Election Integrity Petition and send a strong message to your elected officials that you won’t tolerate another uncertain election cycle.