ACORN, The Association of Community Organization for Reform Now, Inc., is a community organization that utilizes grassroots efforts to organize low/middle income individuals across the United States. According to the ACORN official Website, efforts include voter registration drives, ballot initiatives, funding for public schools and affordable housing.The Nation: Obama's Community Roots (April 3, 2007)
On May 4, 2009, voter registration fraud felony charges were filed against ACORN by Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Secretary of State Ross Miller. Twenty six counts of voter fraud and thirteen counts for "compensating those registering voters" were included in the complaint.Las Vegas Sun: Criminal charges filed against ACORN (May 4, 2009)
Acorn Announces Closure
On March 22, 2010, Acorn announced publicly its plans to close operations. Acorn cites falling revenues as one reason for this decision. The day before this announcement was made, Acorn's board met and discussed how best to "responsibly manage the process of bringing its operations to a close over the coming months"http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/22/acorn-community-organizing-group-to-close/?fbid=NGNt1EBVK4B#more-96008
Acorn's multiple offices across the country will each close at some point prior to April 1, 2010.
"Blackjack" Bonus Program
As part of their national initiative, ACORN operated a Las Vegas office which assisted low-income individuals to register to vote in 2008. According to a complain filed on May 4, 2008, ACORN paid canvassers between $8 and $9 an hour to register people to vote in Nevada. Employment was contingent upon a canvasser registering 20 voters per shift, if that goal was not met, the canvasser's employment was terminated.
Christopher Edwards, a field director for the Las Vegas office, developed an incentive program called "Blackjack" or "21+" which provided bonuses for canvassers based on the total number of voters that they registered. A $5 bonus was paid to a canvasser who had 21 or more completed voter registration forms per shift. The program ran from July 27 through October 2, 2008.
Corporate officers of ACORN were allegedly aware of the Blackjack bonus program and made no attempt to immediately halt it. Amy Busefink, ACORN's deputy regional director, was allegedly aware of the Blackjack program and reportedly aided and abetted the program by approving it.
An investigation was launched after a complaint filed with Secretary of State Ross Miller's office by Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax. Though none of the irregular forms participated in the November 2008 elections, Lomax reported that his office received a large number of voter registration application forms that seemed to be fraudulent. Admit allegations that some registration applications contained false information and some applications attempted to register the same person several times, a task force was formed and investigators eventually raided the ACORN office.Las Vegas Sun: Criminal charges filed against ACORN (May 4, 2009)
References
Fast Facts
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ACORN is an acronym for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
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Barack Obama had ties to the group when a community organizer in Chicago
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Conservative critics have called ACORN a radical group that is guilty of abusing federal fundsMichelle Malkin: The ACORN Obama knows (June 25, 2008)
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Politicians who have supported ACORN include
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ACORN calls itself "the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people"ACORN: Who is ACORN?
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Has signed on as a national partner with the U.S. Census Bureau
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Has been employed by the census to assist with the recruitment of 1.4 million temporary workers who are needed by the organization to go door-to-door and count every person in the U.S.FoxNews.com: ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census (March 18, 2009)
