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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Eric Mays has had many investigations of soliciting absentee ballots from seniors in the past first under The DBA of Mays & Goodman. Taryn Asher ,an excellent investigative reporter with WJRT that left Flint for a larger market in Detroit, wrote about Mays accused of absentee ballot fraud in the first Ward.(2/13/07) These accusations revolved around the recall election against Flint Councilman Darryl Buchanan and the group Enough is Enough that was led by political activist Eric Mays , Complaints were filed with both the Flint City Clerks Office and the Genesee County Election office that seniors were being solicited at a first ward senior center and then asking them to sign the envelope and unmarked ballots so the solicitor could vote for them. Ballot solicitation is a felony. |
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Fri May 03, 2019 4:20 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I keep thinking that I've heard this song before. And indeed, voter fraud investigations were in the Journal in July of 1995 , when then Prosecutor Arthur Busch accused two employees of Mays and Goodman,a political consulting Firm, of forging signatures on absentee ballot requests in 1993 and 1994.
There was one count on Gary A. Cooper and four counts of election forgery on Tina Robinson, the first charges in an ongoing investigation. The charges were brought 13 days before the statute of limitations kicked in and Busch planned to bring additional charges in the case.
Political consultant Eric B. Mays admitted the two worked for him.Mays stated he trained them on the absentee ballot process but never on how to break the law.
Mays turned in 588 requests for absentee ballots for the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate primary in July of 1994. According to the Journal, Flint City Clerk Louis A. Hawkins rejected 451 ballots for issues like improper addresses, questionable signatures and signatures of people not registered to vote. There were 137 ballots issued but they only resulted in 16 votes being cast.
Post Thu Mar 22, 2018 12:32 pm
After Hawkins requested a Flint Police investigation, a report was issued in March. The Police determined 25 ballots were forged and that included 6 requests for people who were dead. However, the Police were unable to determine the identities of the forgers.
Rboert Pickell, a private investigator who previously worked as an investigator in the prosecutors office and later worked with the CIA, was hired by a private group to investigate. He tracked down prior employees of Mays and Goodman and obtaintained handwriting samples for comparison.
When Busch received this independent report, he continued the case with two investigators from his office.
The 1993 City Council race also involved irregularities and possible violations of the campaign finance law among city officeholders. After being named to the council, incumbent Catherine Zamora was challenged by Ed Taylor in a special election for the seat of Woodrow Stanley, who was elected mayor. Zamora lost as allegations of attempted extortion of a Chicago businessman erupted and Zamora filed a lawsuit claiming absentee ballot fraud
In that election Mays asked for 37 spoiled ballots (13 were opened) to be replaced. The wards Mays and his team were working in were the 2nd, 6th and 7th. The statute of limitations ran out.
TWO ACCUSED OF FORGING ABSENTEE BALLOT REQUESTS , Laura Bishoff, July 21, 1995 A1
Busch said he was close to a plea bargain with Cooper when Judge Hayman dismissed the case because the Prosecutor's office was not ready to proceed. The investigation continued except it was then looking at campaign finance violations.
Eric Mays alleged that Busch was just "playing politics with the issue and attempting to discredit his work in the black community.
The Busch investigation revolved around officeholder at that time and former candidates, "who were involved in this ballot-for-hire scheme".
Tina Robinson pled guilty to a reduced charge of "one count of making a false statement on an absentee ballot by signing someone's signature without their permission.". The charge was a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail.
ELECTION FRAUD PROBE NOT OVER, David V. Graham, August 4, 1995, B1
July 30, 2004 Absentee ballots Flood of applications deserves suspicions and scrutiny
Flint Journal Editorial A 14
"Flint's Eric Mays is once again making himself a nemesis of a city clerk at election time, turning in more than 1,000 absentee ballot applications in the final days before Tuesday's vote. The timing leaves scarcely a chance to check for the possibility of irregularities,even though signs of them are blatant.
Local officials, including City Clerk Inez brown,are well within the scope of their duties to supply scrutiny and skepticism
The sheer number is not the only troubling part of this event or even the most inviting of suspicion. Many of the absentee ballots Mays presented were signed months ago but have been held back. One Mays spokesperson said the lapse in time was to avoid confusion around the Mott Community College bond election. But that was held June 14. Where have the ballots been the intervening weeks?
Questions need to be asked as to whether Mays solicited them, because it is illegal for groups or individuals to organizationally solicit absentee ballot applications. That a full 1,000 voters or more would call on Mays and his associates to ask them to collect and turn in their ballots is a preposterous notion. Why not ask someone else?
Brown also is concerned about whether associates working with Mays were paid, which would be illegal. Add to that the complaints she has gotten that people were impersonating city workers while soliciting applications.
If Mays were a grass-roots activist for voter turn out and nothing else, his enthusiasm might be more purely motivated. But as in the past years when Mays has gone hog wild on absentee balloting. this year he is tied to specific campaigns, namely a casino initiative and perhaps some candidates as well.
His personal political aspirations suggest he could be exploiting the absentee ballot to bring about results to his liking. If he can do so while still within the law, then let others take a lesson from his shrewd work.But with signs of possible illegalities popping up boldly, neither Brown nor Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur A. Busch should be giving him any free passes."
July 31, 2004 A-6 Flint journal
Absentee ballots may strap clerk Chris Machniak
The Journal reported how Mays appeared to be exploiting a little known section of the law about absentee ballots.
" Under state law the clerk is required to pick up absentee ballots if voters are unable to mail them or deliver them to City Hall personally or through a relative or someone with whom they live".
There was a deadline for requests, but the budget cutbacks on staff made it difficult to arrange a pickup especially if a last minute surge occurred.
In the past only a few made this request and they were typically the disabled. However with only half of the 2,479 absentee ballots issued by the city being returned, it was reported that political activist Eric Mays was working to get the word out about that option.
Mays told the Journal that he was aware the law had the potential to overburden the Clerk's office and said he believed the state legislature could change regulations about who can handle the ballots. Mays said the clerk should allow his group to volunteer.
"But Brown said she would use only existing staff to ensure the integrity of the ballot. She pointed out Mays history of controversy with absentee ballots".
Mays has also been on the other side of the issue. In 2001, when he was advising then 1st Ward councilman Omar A. Sims, a lawsuit was filed by Sims that Darryl E Buchanan campaign volunteers assisted and turned in absentee ballots.
In 1993 the 2nd Ward candidate, Catherine Zamora, unsuccessfully challenged the absentee ballots for the victor, Ed Taylor, who was advised by Mays.
Mays claimed to have never broken the law, and he was the perfect one to help . He said his experience and intense past scrutiny made him the "guy you can trust".
Mays was publicly supporting Don Williamson for Mayor, however Williamson denied Mays was a part of his absentee ballot efforts.
1-16-2009
A formal complaint was made to the Michigan Secretary of State regarding the "Committee for a Better Flint" (CBF) regarding possible violations of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act and the laws governing 501(C)4 organizations. An IRS complaint was also filed.
Enclosed as documentation illustrated that CBF was a recall committee was news stories and quotes from the leaders that clearly "a recall committee that blatantly and fraudulently organized as a Michigan Domestic Non-profit (ID #79456J) on 8/29/08.
Frank Kelley in Opinion #6591, June 29, 1989 wrote:
"Corruption and he appearance of corruption may occur as easily during the gathering of signatures on a real petition as after the signatures are gathered".
"The process of gathering signatures on a recall petition is part of the process leading to recall elections. It is, as with recounts, often adversarial." |
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Fri May 03, 2019 4:37 pm |
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