A story out of Fox31 in Denver demonstrates the sorry state of election integrity, and how members of the media are aiding wrongdoing by joining the attacks on those who discover wrongdoing.
Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has fought for access to the federal SAVE database. SAVE inventories non-citizens in federal databases. By cross checking voter registration lists (or applicants) with SAVE, state election officials can obtain information about voting eligibility.
Gessler
When a noncitizen registers to vote, they are committing a federal crime. More on that in a moment.
Using enhanced integrity procedures, Gessler found 155 possible non-citizens who voted.
Gessler’s office sent letters to 4,201 people last summer asking them to clarify their status since last summer.
Of those, 155 have voted in one or more past elections and did not reply to the letters. Letters were sent to people who once showed proof of non-citizenship, such as a green card, when getting a driver’s license and then later appeared on voter rolls. “Under Colorado law, only citizens can vote in our elections,” Gessler said in a press release from his office. “We tried to prevent illegal votes before the election, but now we have no choice but to refer these cases to law enforcement for investigation and prosecution.”
You would think such a discovery would bless Gessler with universal praise. He’s the fellow who got the cat down from the tree, right?
Guess again. Eli Stokols (@EliStokols), hack reporter at the Fox affiliate, writes as if Gessler is the problem, not the 155 foreigners who voted in Colorado elections. He peppers his story with partisan attacks:
Democrats have charged that Gessler’s efforts to curtail voter fraud are thinly veiled attempts to use his non-partisan office to achieve partisan ends, namely, lowering voter turnout among Hispanic voters and other traditionally Democratic-leaning constituencies. . . . “John Hickenlooper, in most cases, is a Teflon politician,” Sondermann said. “Scott Gessler strikes me as the opposite. He’s a Velcro politician: everything sticks.”
Why is Stokols contacting a “political analyst” for a story about 155 felons voting in Colorado? The answer is simple – Stokols is an anti-journalist. His job is to destroy the story, not report it. Instead of calling Colorado U.S. Attorney John Walsh and asking if his office will pursue felony charges against the 155 individuals Gessler discovered, Stokols turns the story of a crime into a story of politics. So far, my blog seems to be the only news source that has asked the question whether Walsh will pursue criminal charges. If he doesn’t, it will demonstrate Eric Holder’s lack of commitment to election integrity. It will reveal he is comfortable with foreigners voting in American elections.
That’s the sorry state of reporting on election crimes in Colorado.
Eli Stokols
Perhaps you can’t blame Stokols. This is what happens across the country when criminality in American elections is revealed. Those who reveal it become the criminals.
Once upon a time, every American would be shocked and angered about 155 foreigners voting in an American election. Not anymore. The problem isn’t the criminals, it’s the law abiding civil servants like Gessler trying to restore integrity to the process. The shift in emphasis tells you everything you need to know about reporters like Stokols and the crooks he enables.
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