ACVR - A GOP Front Organization

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The American Center for Voting Rights or ACVR was a GOP front group in the United States that lobbied for stricter voter ID laws to combat allegedly rampant voter fraud. Mark F. "Thor" Hearne was its founder and general counsel from the organization's inception in March 2005 until its dissolution in May 2007[1].

In March 2005 GOP operatives with ties to the White House established a 501(c)4 organization called the American Center for Voting Rights Legislative Fund (ACVR).[2] According to its 990 tax forms, ACVR was based in Midlothian, Virginia, and its executive director is Robin DeJarnette, who is also the founder and executive director of the Virginia Conservative Action PAC. The chairman of ACVR is Brian Lunde, a former Democratic National Committee official from Texas, who in 2004 was head of Democrats for Bush.

ACVR specializes in issuing studies that purport to document a host of voter fraud cases, like the report titled: "Democrat operatives far more involved in voter intimidation and suppression in 2004 than Republicans."(broken link)

A mere six days after the organization was formed, the ACVR, a "non-partisan," "voting rights" organization, was called to testify by Republican members of Congress before a House Administration Committee hearing on March 22[3].

US Senator Kit Bond of Missouri, described the group as a non-partisan, voting rights advocacy group. He testified and submitted a report on Ohio election irregularities, which highlighted the Mary Poppins Conspiracy in this country. If you haven't heard about it, the Mary Poppins Conspiracy consists of many, many ineligible voters—using the names Mary Poppins, Dick Tracy and Jive F. Turkey—fraudulently voting in elections[3].

Unfortunately for advocates of this conspiracy theory, a precinct has yet to report that a citizen by the name of Mary Poppins showed up on Election Day and voted. Searches for Dick Tracy votes and Jive F. Turkey votes have also come up empty[3].

After the Election Assistance Commission, issued a report that said the pervasiveness of fraud was open to debate[4] and an ongoing Congressional investigation into the Bush administration’s firing of eight United States attorneys, the organization was dissolved in May 2007[5].

References

1. ^ "American Center for Voting Rights Legislative Fund", SourceWatch.
2. ^ Joel Bleifuss. "The Fraudulence of Voter Fraud", In These Times, 2007-04-17. (in English)
3. ^ a b c US Representative John Conyers Jr.. "The GOP's Attack On Voting Rights", tompaine.com, May 13, 2005. (in English)
4. ^ Ian Urbina. "Panel Said to Alter Finding on Voter Fraud", The New York Times, 2007-04-11. (in English)
5. ^ Richard L. Hasen. "The Fraudulent Fraud Squad: The incredible, disappearing American Center for Voting Rights.", Slate, 2007-05-18. (in English)

External links
* SPECIAL COVERAGE: Thor Hearne's "American Center for Voting Rights" (ACVR) GOP "Voter Fraud" Scam (English). Brad Blog.
* ACVR Report Riddled with Errors and Partisan Spin (English). The Democratic Party (2005-08-09).