Don't you just love The Google? Especially the Archives tab in Google News? If you go back in time like I did, you will find an article dated July 5, 2005. It is it juicy and begins:
In the months before the 2004 presidential election, a firm called Sproul & Associates launched voter registration drives in at least eight states, most of them swing states. The group--run by Nathan Sproul, former head of the Arizona Christian Coalition and the Arizona Republican Party--had been hired by the Republican National Committee.
Sproul got into a bit of trouble last fall when, in certain states, it came out that the firm was playing dirty tricks in order to suppress the Democratic vote: concealing their partisan agenda, tricking Democrats into registering as Republicans, surreptitiously re-registering Democrats and Independents as Republicans, and shredding Democratic registration forms.
Team Bush Paid Millions to Nathan Sproul—and Tried to Hide It
The article goes on to explain that the scandal didn't receive much attention before 2004 presidential election. Once the election was over, anybody who brought up Sproul's name and the scandal was brushed off as a conspiracy theorist. And yet the article goes on to do some arithmetic and figures out that the math doesn't add up. It also provides a timeline of how all the information was revealed.
Moreover, there are some big surprises buried in the paperwork. It turned out that the RNC paid Sproul not only for their pre-election work, but also paid them for work after the election. According to their Year-End Report, filed on Jan. 28, 2005, the RNC paid Sproul for "Political Consulting" in December--long after all the voter registration drives had ended.
(snip)
As to why Sproul was being paid in December, and why the dates were changed, one can only speculate. But it may be worth noting that the Ohio recount took place from Dec. 13 through Dec. 28.
Team Bush Paid Millions to Nathan Sproul—and Tried to Hide It
Nothing to see here. Just a conspiracy theory? That was then and this is now. An article in the
Los Angeles Times yesterday revealed:
Sproul said he created Strategic Allied Consulting at the RNC's request because the party wanted to avoid being publicly linked to the past allegations. The firm was set up at a Virginia address, and Sproul does not show up on the corporate paperwork.
"In order to be able to do the job that the state parties were hiring us to do, the [RNC] asked us to do it with a different company's name, so as to not be a distraction from the false information put out in the Internet," Sproul said.
The RNC's rapid decision to distance itself comes as Republicans around the country have sought to make voter fraud an issue, in part by pressing for voter identification laws.
RNC cuts ties with voter-drive firm accused of fraud
If you go back and read the first article, is it a the conspiracy theory to conclude that in 2005 investigative reporters went back and looked at all the payments to Sproul & Associates for the 2004 election, and learning from past mistakes the RNC decided not to make the same mistake in 2012? There has been a lot of reporting about the company called Strategic Allied Consulting, but perhaps we should dig deeper like Lee Fang at
The Nation did.
It appears that the Republican Party of California might have its own deal with Sproul, and is also attempting to hide it from the public.
As I noted in an update to my post on Wednesday, the California Republican Party has made $430,840 in payments to “Grassroots Outreach, LLC” this cycle for voter registration.
Is this another Sproul shell group? And are they up to the same tactics as before? Lance Williams at California Watch reports that a recent complaint in Riverside County details a number of allegations that someone affiliated with the GOP is deceiving voters to re-register them as Republicans and offering free cigarettes for signatures. They’re reportedly targeting minorities:
One voter complained that his registration was changed to Republican after he signed what he thought was a petition to legalize marijuana. Another said he was told he was signing a petition to lower the price of gasoline, according to the affidavits.
Others said they were offered free cigarettes or a “job at the polls” if they signed some paperwork. Also among the Democrats who said they were involuntarily re-registered as Republicans: two aides to retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard Roth, a Democrat locked in a tight race with Republican Assemblyman Jeff Miller for a state Senate seat.
Many of the complainants were Latino or African American. [Emphasis added.]
According to this disclosure, Grassroots Outreach shares the same address as Sproul’s office in Tempe, Arizona. Craigslist job postings in California use identical language as Sproul’s shell company, Strategic Allied Consulting.
GOP Fires Controversial Voter Suppression Operative, but Is He Still Playing Dirty Tricks In California?
Something tells me that once somebody starts taking the time to search business records, state by state, and look for companies with that same Tempe, Arizona, address, this story is going to become and even bigger headache for Republicans and the RNC.
Does this increase the chances of Democrats retaining control of the presidency, the Senate, and more importantly winning back control of the House of Representatives? Remember our new motto: “Don't agonize; organize.”
Who's up to doing some digging? Nathan Sproul's page at Lincoln Strategy Group lists a phone number: (480) 303-7175. Searching Google for the phone number brings up a lot of data, including the address associated with the phone number: 80 E Rio Salado Pkwy Ste 814, Tempe, AZ. We could start by searching state secretary of state websites for businesses located at that address.
Also, the Los Angeles Times article says Strategic Allied Consulting was formed in Virginia. This is true according the Secretary of State's website in Virginia:
Entity Type: Limited Liability Company
Jurisdiction of Formation: VA
Date of Formation/Registration: 6/13/2012
Status: Active
Registered Agent/Registered Office
C T CORPORATION SYSTEM
4701 COX ROAD
SUITE 301
GLEN ALLEN VA 23060
HENRICO COUNTY 143
Status: Active
Effective Date: 6/13/2012
It turns out that the Registered agent is listed at the SoS website as well:
C T CORPORATION SYSTEM
Entity Type: Foreign Corporation
Jurisdiction of Formation: DE
Date of Formation/Registration: 9/4/1936
Status: Active
Shares Authorized: 1000
Principal Office
111 EIGHTH AVE
13TH FL
NEW YORK NY10011
Registered Agent/Registered Office
TINIKA BAYLOR
4701 COX RD STE 301
GLEN ALLEN VA 23060
HENRICO COUNTY 143
Status: Active
Effective Date: 10/31/2008
I have absolutely no idea what this means, but there is a page at the
U.S. Department of Transportation that lists "Process Agents for: CT CORPORATION SYSTEM." The above addresses are listed for New York and Virginia, so I'm sure this is the same company. Could the same addresses help us find the entities that Nathan Sproul created in these other states?
Update: CT Corporation System serves as Agent for lots of corporations (H/T noweasels, so searching for their addresses would be too cumbersome a process since they also represent other firms.
New approach: Lee Fang's article in
The Nation mentions the fact that Craigslist job postings shared identical language. I couldn't find the identical language in any other job postings, but I did start looking at similar job postings around the country, which looks like it could produce a list of possible companies Sproul set-up. The job descriptions are very simliar:
Voter Outreach Representives (Toledo, OH area)
Phoenix Services, Inc.
5800 Monroe Street, Suite D
Sylvania, OH 43560
P: (419) 885-2151
F: (419) 885-7074
www.phoenixsvs.com
Voter Outreach Representatives (Colorado Springs, CO)
Must reply directly to ad. No company name or details.
Voter Outreach Representative (Treasure Coast, FL)
Must reply directly to ad. No company name or details.
The listings on Craig's List are all for "Voter Outreach" and seem to just be available in swing states. They all seem to pay either $10 or $12 per hour and have these requirements:
The qualified candidate will possess the following skills & abilities:
Ability to work outside and in public places for long hours
Friendly, welcoming attitude & outgoing personality
Respect for people of all political viewpoints
Excellent communication skills
Willing to undergo criminal background checks
Position starts ASAP and may continue until November.