In a move that serves to discount the severity of voter fraud in the US, the Associated Press’ Gary Fineout posted two conflicting reports regarding a voter fraud investigation. Strangely, after posting inaccurate information in an article, the heavily left-leaning AP staff writer then posted an update — one that conflicted with the first false posting, yet was still false in itself.
The issue at the core of the matter was an alert to authorities in both Rhode Island and Florida that the exact same individual was on the books for having voted in both states in a single general election in 2010. The alert to authorities was raised by True the Vote, the Texas-based election integrity watchdog group headed by Catherine Engelbrecht.
True the Vote identified two individuals casting ballots simultaneously in both Rhode Island and Florida. The authorities in both states immediately coordinated to investigate whether or not fraud had occurred or a procedural glitch had been uncovered. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) was tasked to lead the investigation for both states.
The AP entered the fray last week on January 10, 2013 by reporting on the matter and claiming the investigation that was initiated by True the Vote had been dropped by authorities. Strangely, the AP writer did not cite any source whatsoever for his claim. The article, titled Florida Finds No Wrongdoing In Several Voting Cases stated: “Additionally, FDLE has closed a case against a person accused of voting in the states of Florida and Rhode Island due to a lack of evidence that the person existed. The case was initiated by a group called True the Vote.“
Hours later, Fineout updated the article on the AP’s website, stating that the cause for the investigation’s closure had been separate from his first claim altogether. He wrote:
“FDLE closed the case after state election officials were told by Rhode Island authorities that the name of the voter there was probably wrong and was listed incorrectly because of a poll worker’s error.”
True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht then reached out to authorities in both Rhode Island and Florida to inquire on the investigation and the AP’s conflicting claims. In an exclusive interview with Breitbart.com, Engelbrecht states:
“True the Vote confirmed with Rhode Island and Florida authorities that the AP staff writer’s claims were premature and ultimately false.“
Engelbrecht further stated:
“True the Vote takes pride in its research capabilities with respect to interstate voter fraud. We identify potential fraud by matching state voter rolls based on full name, birthdate, full address, property records and voting history.”
The True the Vote founder expressed great alarm in both the conflicting reports from the AP’s Fineout and in what she called “an inability to show proper concern for potential issues with the US election systems.“
She stated:
“To originally claim that a vote fraud investigation was dropped because the State of Florida could not verify the existence of a voter, is tantamount to reporting that ballots are cast under fictitious names. Equally disturbing was the updated conclusion that a poll worker in Rhode Island incorrectly signed a voter in under the wrong name – effectively disenfranchising a fellow citizen. It’s unfortunate that neither of these scenarios raise alarm with the Associated Press.“