BY JIM KOURI – The son of an 11-term Democratic congressman was allegedly caught on video providing information on how to commit voter fraud, according to a report and video released on Wednesday.
Patrick Moran, the son and campaign worker of U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), when approached by an undercover investigator for advice on how to steal the votes of more than 100 people, Moran advised falsifying documents to satisfy Virginia’s new voter ID law, according to investigative journalist James O’Keefe, who is the founder and director of The Project Veritas.
Patrick Moran is heard saying in a video, “Bank statement obviously would be tough, but they can fake a utility bill with ease.” Moran goes on to say in the video, “You’d have to forge it.”
Announcing the release of the video, O’Keefe said, “This is the most damning evidence to date of the scope of voter fraud in this country. Patrick Moran is not only the son of an 11-term Congressman, but is also the Field Director on his father’s re-election campaign.”
The video sting operation was held at the Organizing for America offices in Arlington, Virginia where Patrick Moran coordinates his father’s campaign, the re-elect President Obama campaign, and the campaign to elect Tim Kaine to the U.S. Senate.
Almost immediately at the release of the video, the Democratic National Committee announced Patrick Moran resigned from his dad’s campaign.
In a report released on Thursday, a non-partisan, public-interest group claims, contrary to conventional wisdom, voter identification laws and statutes are an effective tool to reduce voter fraud in U.S. local and national elections.
The Coalition for a Secure Driver’s License (CSDL) released a report today that explains which voter photo ID laws are effective in countering imposter fraud in elections. Nearly two-thirds of states have adopted some form of a voter ID law with varying degrees of strictness.
“Thirty-two states have enacted voter ID laws and more are expected to follow. A majority of the electorate is concerned about voter fraud, but the question of which of these laws actually achieve their objectives remains” said Brian Zimmer, CSDL president. The report links photo identification documents issued by states that have complied with Public Law 109-13 (REAL ID) to reliable voter photo IDs.
“There is a nexus between the REAL ID Act and Voter IDs, in that the former improves the reliability of the latter. REAL ID federal rules require validation of identity and lawful presence status before a state can issue a REAL ID compliant identification card.
“Therefore, one way that election officials can help improve voting integrity is by using the data that are already maintained within DMV databases to assure the identity and citizenship status of individuals who register to vote. That is, provided those states record whether the driver’s license applicants are citizens. In addition, the identity security upgrades embedded in the voluntary REAL ID regulations help state agencies meet citizens’ expectations for data stewardship,” reads the report.
In the 2010 general election, more than 9% of the 236 million people of voting age were not eligible voters. More than 14 million (8.3 %) were not eligible because they were not U.S. citizens and more than 3 million were ineligible because of felony convictions. Reliable voter photo IDs will deter not only non-eligible voting, but voter impersonation, multiple voting, and out-of-state voting.
“Voter photo ID laws will discourage imposters and others ineligible to vote from showing up at the polling stations. That is the outcome the legitimate electorate desires. Requiring reliable identity verification at the polls and at voter registration is as popular as it is constitutionally sound. Knowing that only eligible and identifiable voters cast ballots on November 6 this year will strengthen confidence in the results, whatever the outcome,” said Zimmer.
Jim Kouri, CPP, is founder and CEO of Kouri Associates, a homeland security, public safety and political consulting firm. He’s formerly Fifth Vice-President, now a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he’s a columnist for Examiner.com. Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc.