ACORN, some say a nut, i say a SCANDAL!

In the final days of this campaign season you may hear about ACORN in our news. No not the fabled nut treasured by furry forest rodents, but this seasons voting scandal. In addition to ACORN is voter-suppression, unfortunately there is no furry creature that utterly loves voter suppression. Neither do voters.

I reiterate again that ACORN is not something that falls from an oak tree, but instead the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a non-profit organization whose goal is to increase voter registration. ACORN pays people to go out and recruit unregistered voters however these individuals have found it much easier to just make up fake voters or register people multiple times trough ACORN reaping the buckets of money that im sure a nonprofit pays them... This causes some problems considering people who don't exist can vote. Acorn is being accused of fraudulent voter registration because of this.

Voter suppression does not sound nearly as funny as its squirrel related counterpart in the media. However it does not deserve a silly name because this tactic used by political parties is harsh and unreasonable. Voter- suppression is when the act of voting is made into an intimidating , or difficult task for certain demographics or geographical areas. It is done so that the people in these areas will avoid voting. This is achieved by neglected polling centers, or by making it unaccessible to some people. One type of suppression could be Republican or Democrat suppression either parties suppressing strategic areas that they know will vote for the opposite party. Voter- suppression occurred when the Jim Crow Laws were passed making it impossible for black people to vote. Voter-suppression denies people the right to vote which is everyones fundamental right.

When you hear on the news of ACORN do not get exited at the prospect of Native American cuisine, think scandal. One scandal allows people to vote multiple times (ACORN)wile the other (voter- suppression) causes people not to vote at all. Could the two be used strategically?

Sources:

The New York Times, "The Acorn Story", Published October 16, 2008, Accessed October 28, 2008.

The New York Times, "States' Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal", Ian Urbina, Published October 8, 2008, Accessed October 28, 2008.

The Wall Street Journal Online, "Justice and Vote Fraud", Published October 27, 2008, Accessed October 28, 20

Animals Of The Forest, "What Squirrels Eat", Published October 9, 2008, Accessed October 28, 2008.