S.C. Rep. Wallace Scarborough’s bid to hang onto his House seat got some surprise backing this week from one of the nation’s most influential public policy research organizations.
The Heritage Foundation, easily the largest conservative think tank in the world, has published an opinion piece by former Federal Election Commission member and Justice Department official Hans von Spakovsky alleging that the S.C. Election Commission has refused to enforce the law and failed to “protect the security and integrity of the democratic election process in South Carolina.”
From Spakovsky’s article:
“It should have been an easy call for the State Election Commission to overturn the race and order a new election. The evidence was based on a simple comparison of state records easily available to the Commission. And Ms. Peterson-Hutto did not even dispute the evidence. Yet the Commission, after secretly going into executive session, inexplicably refused to overturn the results and schedule a new election.”
Spakovsky urged the S.C. House of Representatives to toss out the results of the election, which Scarborough lost to Democrat Anne Peterson Hutto on Nov. 4 by a scant 211 votes out of 18,000 votes cast.
“It is incumbent on the House of Representatives to assure that elections are conducted fairly and legally,” he writes, “and that only those who are entitled to vote in a precinct have their votes count.”
Lachlan McIntosh, a campaign advisor to Hutto, vehemently disagreed, saying that the Election Commission specifically requested details from Scarborough’s team concerning the alleged illegal votes – information that was not forthcoming.
McIntosh says Scarborough’s failure to provide proof was one of the reasons the commission rejected his election appeal a month ago.
“This is over,” McIntosh said. “They completely failed to prove that these people did not have domecile in the district.”
“Mr. Scarborough needs to stop acting like a child,” McIntosh added.
By El Guapo January 4, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Go home Wally. It’s over.
Dean and Britta, Will? I knew you were a man of fine tastes.
By Republican Swamp Fox January 4, 2009 at 8:26 pm
Way to go Lacklan, you showed them with your logic and cunning why Hutto should take her seat. You are a political mastermind, you even backed Gov. Richardson you cunning mastermind.
By Who has the Guts? January 4, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Scarboroguh has claimed that more than 211 people voted who should not have. IF THIS IS CORRECT, then there really is no other decision. State law provides that there SHALL be another election under those circumstances.
So there are really two questions:
1) is Wally;s evidence as he says it is, and
2) does anybody have the guts to follow the law?
There are no other questions, under any circusmtances. All the BS about disenfranchisment and overturning elections is the stuff for blogs. We live (or should) in a world governed by laws only, not opinion and spin.
If his evidecne is correct, then the House will have an intersesting choice: follow the law OR become an “activist legal authority” like all the “activist” judges so many lawmakers say they cant stand
Kudos to Scarborugh for sticking to his guns.
By follitics January 4, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Scarborough’s “evidence” was produced the morning of the Election Commission hearing. It was a mishmash of “documents” for people with names similar to voters in the House 115 election, supposedly showing that they lived somewhere else. That “evidence” was explored for three hours, with contradictory documents produced for many of the supposed “illegal” voters.
The “evidence” was produced when a longer list of supposed illegal voters was shot to pieces by research and interviews by Peterson-Hutto’s team. The irony in that research was that most voters were not only legitimate House 115 voters, but they volunteered that they had voted for Scarborough.
Scarborough is playing a game — get it “out there” that he was beaten by fraud, so he can win next time. It’s an expensive game, and a dangerous one. If he succeeds, every close election in SC will be dragged through spurious protests and appeals. Two parties can play this game, and it isn’t good for democracy.
By common sense January 4, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Hey Republican Swamp Fox,
Hutto has already taken her seat.
By Brogan Gubmant January 5, 2009 at 12:21 am
http://jonesonpolitics.com/2009/01/05/scarborough-defended-by-nationally-known-corrupt-vote-thief/
Interesting follow up piece regarding this situation. This could end up being a national corruption story. Good old SC!
By rick not Quinn January 5, 2009 at 8:40 am
Folitics: You say “two parties can play this game” and you ARE correct. This is happening in elections at all levels. What should happen is that the local election authorities need to clean up their act, then no party would find any problem to raise. This is going on all over and can be corrected. Scarborough has a lot of proving to do. Knowing someone lives out of the district and proving it are two very different things. If Wally can PROVE it then it will be hard to deny him a new election.
By palmetto wahoo January 5, 2009 at 10:27 am
Wallace has had numerous opportunities to prove it in front of fellow republican-controlled bodies (Chas Election Commission, SC Election Commission) and even members of his own party agree that there is no evidence of any wrong doing. How many chances are we going to give him to steal away this election??
By Petey Pablo January 5, 2009 at 12:14 pm
will his recent engagement to former Senator Ceips affect any of this…..
By Paid to Post January 5, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Anyone other than Hutto’s campaign staff want to weigh in?
Look, they even have their own blog now.
Boring post. At least the consultant blogging & fighting is funny. Dem consultants fighting Repub consultants on Howie’s consultant blog.
Scarborough AND Hutto should demand a refund.
By Sherlock January 5, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Thanks Brogan Gubmant for the additional info.It really puts everything into perspective. If the buddy system works and we, the tax payers, have to fork out another $ 12000 for a new election are we going to enforce the law and take the 200+ illegal voters to court? I hope so at least we will get our money back. Unfortunately we might get Scarboriugh back as well. Heaven forbid.