Rep. Gonzalez Calls for “Full Disclosure” In Wake of Arrest for Voter Registration Fraud

October 19, 2012 (Washington, DC) - Today, Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX-20), Ranking Member on the House Subcommittee on Elections, issued the following statement in light of the arrest yesterday of a man in Harrisonburg, VA, who was charged with eight felony counts and five misdemeanors for alleged acts of voter registration fraud.

“More than two weeks ago, amid reports of voter registration fraud in Florida and fears of similar fraud in other states across the country, we wrote to the Chairman of the Republican National Committee urging him to make a full disclosure of his party’s affiliation with the companies implicated and the man behind them. That man, Nathan Sproul, has been dogged by accusations of similar acts of voter registration fraud dating back to 2004 at least. To date, we have heard nothing from the Republican Party or its chairman.

“Last night, a man was arrested and charged with thirteen criminal counts for voter registration fraud. This man worked for the same company as the man allegedly responsible for all of the misdeeds in Florida. That company has, in turn, been hired by the Republican parties in multiple states and by the Republican National Committee’s ‘only vendor signing up new voters’ in this election cycle. All of these companies are connected to Mr. Sproul and, thus, to the RNC and Republican state parties and organizations. The man arrested in Virginia has even claimed that he has worked for the Republican National Committee itself for the past three months.

“These facts are all deeply troubling. Less than three weeks before Election Day, individuals connected to a major political party stand accused of malicious and felonious interference with the electoral process. We know of hundreds of suspicious registration forms. We know of attempts to destroy legitimate registration forms. We do not know how many other misdeeds remain to be discovered. We have moved beyond just making polite inquiries.

“The Republican National Committee needs to act and to do so promptly. By choosing to affiliate with a man with Nathan Sproul’s reputation, the RNC has forfeit any benefit of the doubt in such matters. Only complete disclosure can adequately address this situation. Give the American people the facts so that they can make up their own minds. Give prosecutors and police the facts so they can properly investigate these allegations and bring all appropriate charges. And give election officials the facts so that they can take the steps necessary to ensure that no American citizen is denied their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote.”

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