Posted on November 16, 2012

GOP Chairman Suspects Voter Fraud Because ‘Dozens and Dozens’ of African-Americans Turned Out in Maine ‘But Nobody in Town Knows Anyone That’s Black’

Louise Boyle, Daily Mail (London), November 15, 2012

The chairman of the Maine Republican Party says he is investigating after ‘dozens and dozens of black people’ voted on Election Day in rural Maine – but ‘nobody in town knows anybody that’s black’.

The GOP politician’s allegations have been heavily criticized by Democrats and has drawn skepticism from state elections officials.

Charlie Webster said he has suspicions about voter fraud because hundreds of first-time voters registered on Election Day.

He refused to say what towns he was talking about or reveal other specifics, but claimed his allegations are not racially motivated.

He first made the allegations on a local Portland TV station.

Webster said: ‘It doesn’t matter to me whether they’re black or Chinese or Indonesian. The issue isn’t that. The issue is that people have come into vote that no one had seen before.’

Megan Sanborn, spokeswoman for the secretary of state’s office, said no one has complained to election officials about voter fraud and that there are no plans for an investigation.

She said Secretary of State Charlie Summers was surprised by Webster’s allegations and said the office doesn’t open investigations based on hearsay.

Ms Sanborn said: ‘We haven’t received any phone calls regarding anyone concerned about voter fraud or anything along those lines.

‘Secretary Summers feels that every Maine person has the right to vote and he encourages people to vote. Maine has one of the highest voter turnouts in the state and Secretary Summers is proud of that.’

Nevertheless, Webster declined to back down today, saying people who think there’s no voter fraud ‘have their heads in the sand’.

He said he’s concerned that get-out-the-vote efforts by Democrats and liberal groups may have crossed the line by getting ineligible voters to the polling places.

Democratic Party spokeswoman Lizzy Reinholt characterized the allegations as sour grapes and noted that the GOP has made voter fraud accusations in the past that weren’t borne out.

‘It’s sad to see that rather than reflecting on devastating losses of his party and going quietly, he continues to spew misinformation and to use fear-mongering as an excuse,’ she said.

As of the 2010 census, 94 per cent of Maine’s population was white, 1.1 per cent African-American, 0.6 per cent American-Indian and Alaska Native, 1 per cent Asian and 1.3 per cent Hispanic.