Voter Registration Fraud Allegations, by the Numbers

The Republican National Committee (RNC) fired its only vendor the group was using to push for new voter registrations in five key swing states. Bloomberg reports Monday registration efforts in Florida, Colorado, Virginia, Nevada and North Carolina were abruptly halted when Strategic Allied Consulting was released from its contract by Republicans. A spokesperson for the RNC told the media outlet the firing will have "no impact" while a political expert at Florida State University countered a potential lack of voters will be "significant."

The numbers associated with the voter registration drive are notable.

108: The number of suspicious voter registrations discovered in Palm Beach County in Florida. The Associated Press reports that same area had problems counting votes in the 2000 presidential election. As many as 100 forms out of 400 turned in by the firm in Florida's Santa Rosa County were "problematic," according to the Los Angeles Times.

4.3 million: The number of dollars spent by Republican groups to hire the firm to register voters in the five swing states. Voter registration deadlines varied from Oct. 6 to Oct. 15 among the five states. Both the RNC and Strategic Allied Consulting affirmed a "zero tolerance" policy for voter registration fraud. The consulting firm alleges the fraud originated from one person.

2,000: The number of workers hired by Strategic Allied Consulting for registering voters in Florida alone. CBS News reports one worker, whose voice was recorded on an answering machine in Clay County, calls President Barack Obama a "Muslim" and a "socialist." Officials in Clay County distanced themselves from those statements.

4,000: The total number of employees paid by Strategic Allied Consulting. The firm's website states "contractors who cannot follow our rules -- or the law -- are fired immediately. The company says it runs background checks.

500,000: The number of voter registrations completed by the firm since 2004. Voter registration drives have taken place in more than 40 states. NPR reveals the voter registration company hired up to 5,000 people for the current push. NPR also quoted the company's owner, Nathan Sproul, when he said, "there are always going to be bad actors in a large-scale operation."

28 million: The approximate numbers of registered voters among the five states canvassed by Strategic Allied Consulting. Florida has the most with nearly 11.6 million registrants. Nevada has the least with more than 1.4 million. North Carolina has nearly 6.5 million registered voters while Virginia has more than 5 million. Colorado has nearly 3.5 million registered voters statewide.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/voter-registration-fraud-allegations-numbers-212700856.html

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