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Tough talk on all things housing -- booms, busts, bargains and more -- from "Nightline" correspondent Vicki Mabrey
Vicki Mabrey is a correspondent for "Nightline" based in New York. She covers real estate as well as a range of national stories.
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Foreclosure Lists Used to Prevent Voter Fraud?
September 12, 2008 5:36 PM
Vicki Mabrey reports:
As if people about to lose their homes don't have enough to worry about, here comes this controversy: an alleged plan by Michigan Republican Party officials to use foreclosure lists to make sure there's no voter fraud. I mean, I expected the high rate of foreclosures would become a hot topic in this overheated election year, but who knew it it would morph into this??
It started Thursday with this article in the Michigan Messenger, a left-leaning paper (though the managing director says, "We don't favor Democrats, we favor accuracy"), which reported that the chair of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Mich., "is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP's effort to challenge some voters on Election Day."
The article quotes chairman James Carabelli as saying, "We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses." The reporter on the story, Eartha Jane Melzer, says Carabelli added that the party wanted to sure proper electoral procedures were followed.
ABC's Chris Bury contacted Carabelli, and writes, "According to Carabelli, the story is 'total BS.' He said it would be 'wrong' to use such foreclosure lists and county officials have no such plans. He also acknowledged that a foreclosure does not constitute proof of non-Michigan residence.
Melzer, for her part, told ABC's Diana Alvear that she stands by her story.
Today, ABC's Deputy Political Director Karen Travers reports that Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer said, "The right to vote, no matter how hard you have been hit in this economy, is just too important for claims like these to go unanswered."
Jobs with Justice, a coalition of community, labor and faith organizations, is holding a press conference at McCain campaign HQ in Farmington Hills, Mich., today with people whose homes have been foreclosed. They're calling for Carabelli's resignation and plan to ask Sen. John McCain to ensure the Republican Party does not illegally target voters who are in foreclosure.
Karen also sends along this list of FAQs from the Obama campaign in Michigan:
Q: If you're being foreclosed on and are forced to leave your home, what are your voting rights?
A: If you move to another house or apartment in the same city or township, you can vote at the old address one more time, no matter when you move. When you vote, you will automatically change your address and register at the new address.
If you move to another house or apartment in a different city, but within Michigan, you can vote at the old address one more time if you move within 60 days of the election (Sept. 5 or later).
Q: If your house is in foreclosure, but you still live there, what are your voting rights?
A: You are entirely eligible to vote. The law requires that you have a place where you usually sleep, keep your personal things, and have a regular place of lodging to be an eligible resident.
There. Know the law.
However, if the Michigan Republican Party really does plan to use foreclosure lists to guard against voter fraud, it'll be pretty easy: they're headquartered at Trott and Trott, a local law firm that specializes in real estate issues, including foreclosures
September 12, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (14)
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The GOP is up to its elbows in voting fraud, which is its main hope of holding Ohio in November. Republicans don't disapprove of cheating. They disapprove of the *other* guy cheating and are willing to assume that it's happening until proven otherwise.
Posted by: RD | Sep 12, 2008 6:08:48 PM
Sounds fair to me. There's so much voter corruption in Michigan, anything would help!
Posted by: rodney | Sep 12, 2008 6:09:41 PM
RD
Got any proof of that or are you just blathering?
Posted by: dl | Sep 12, 2008 6:12:08 PM
This not decent. But is it unexpected?
Today John McCain is running ads saying Barack Obama sponsored legislation to teach sex to kindergarteners. Factually, Obama voted for (but did not sponsor) legislation to ask for "age appropriate" information for children on how to avoid predators.
John McCain. He had honor once, but he endorses this lie. And it is not the only one. Now he is a man without honor. Check out factcheck.com and judge the man who wants to be president.
Posted by: John | Sep 12, 2008 6:13:03 PM
"Sounds fair to me. There's so much voter corruption in Michigan, anything would help!"
Neo-speak for "Hey, the GOP found another way to stop poor people from voting and fix it for republicans. This kind of thing worked in Ohio and Florida, why not Michigan.
Do you think maybe they're planning on hitting Detroit most?
Posted by: JR | Sep 12, 2008 6:23:58 PM
So you pawn of devil prints a rumor that is denied with no proof from a far-left radical rag?
Vicki Maylie.
Posted by: Karen | Sep 12, 2008 6:26:47 PM
GOP = God Offal People
Show me an honest republican and you'll find a democrat.
But don't worry, there isn't such a thing as an honest republican.
Posted by: dl loves rodney | Sep 12, 2008 6:28:32 PM
Republicans, the other name for dogshitt.
Posted by: Karen does dl | Sep 12, 2008 6:30:33 PM
These people rotten to the core. How can anyone vote for them?
The Republicans are also targeting American voters living abroad from the 18 swing states (of which Michigan is one).
We are allowed by law to vote in our home state of residence or our last residential address.
Democrats Abroad has registered many thousands of eligible American voters in over 160 countries.
New voters in the US and our new voters are among top targets.
We won't be there on November 4th so they can challenge us at will.
The Obama campaign have had to put teams of lawyers in place to try to secure all of our votes.
Posted by: susan | Sep 12, 2008 6:56:23 PM
The GOP hasn't cleanly won a Presidential election since 1984. I don't understand how people still view these creeps as the
values party." Both Palin and McCain have had affairs. Neither Obama nor Biden have. The GOP is blatantly lying in their commercials, and this is being widely reported, yet their good Christian lemmings feel they can do no wrong.
Posted by: Alix | Sep 12, 2008 7:21:51 PM
This is outrageous. And if it happens in Michigan, it will certainly happen in other states.
We must fight back. Progressive Future has a great action page posted where you can write to the Secretary of State of Michigan, Terri Lynne Land, and tell her that this kind of interference with the basic right to vote is unacceptable, and that you expect her to say so — publicly.
Just follow this link:
https://www.progressivefuture.org/michigan.
Posted by: ProgressiveReb | Sep 13, 2008 9:51:22 AM
This story is BS and has already been proven so.
In the mean time ... there's a REAL story taking place in Michigan regarding ACORN's voter fraud.
Are you willing to cover that story?
Posted by: theCL | Sep 16, 2008 11:43:25 AM
The article is really informative and great. You may also visit www.mortgageinformationfinder.com/foreclosure-lists/ for info on foreclosure lists.
Posted by: foreclosure lists | Dec 17, 2008 7:19:32 AM
Sounds fair to me. There's so much voter corruption in Michigan, anything would help!
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Perth
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Posted by: foreclosure auctions | Oct 30, 2009 5:46:52 AM
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