http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/mil/election2000/itsyourvote/stories/-20001105-134550.html
Cigarettes Distributed For Gore Vote
Homeless Voters Given Ride, Cigarettes
MILWAUKEE, Updated 11:00 p.m. CST November 5, 2000-- Campaign volunteers for the Democratic Presidential campaign were discovered distributing cigarettes to homeless voters after the volunteers had recruited the homeless specifically for their vote Saturday.
"We've been pretty busy, going to the shelters," campaign volunteer Connie Milstein said. Milstein volunteers for the Gore campaign in New York and came to Milwaukee to help get out the vote.
"They had a couple vans, and said they'd give us a ride. So I took a ride," George Scharf said. Scharf is a homeless voter who said he had planned to vote for Gore anyway, and that voters weren't told about the free cigarettes till after they were at the polls.
"They didn't mention that until we got down there anyway," he said.
However, a Milwaukee Rescue Mission employee told WISN 12 News that he had to ask democratic campaign volunteers to leave the property after he caught them trying to bribe potential voters with packs of cigarettes.
But one voter said that he did not feel like he was bribed for his vote.
"They just came and asked us to go and vote," Bob Socha said. Socha also said that he enjoys voting and was already planning to vote for Gore.
A representative from the Milwaukee County Bush campaign said that the tactics of the Gore campaigners raises a few questions.
"Even aside from the law itself, I just think most people on a gut check level would say that's wrong," "http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm14/asm14.html" (R - 14th District) said. "One has to question if they were going to be voting anyway, one has to question why would the campaign, the Gore campaign, be giving anything out, other than a ride to vote. "
After viewing WISN 12's video tape, a local representative of the Gore campaign issued a response to the democratic campaigners who distributed the cigarettes.
"This kind of activity described by Channel 12 is not the kind of help we ask for and it's the kind of help we flat-out reject. These volunteers were from out of state, acting on their own and this was not part of any official Democratic 'get out the vote' activity in Wisconsin. They have left the state and we will not invite them to return," wrote Susan Lagana, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign.
Copyright 2000
Cigarettes Distributed For Gore Vote
Homeless Voters Given Ride, Cigarettes
MILWAUKEE, Updated 11:00 p.m. CST November 5, 2000-- Campaign volunteers for the Democratic Presidential campaign were discovered distributing cigarettes to homeless voters after the volunteers had recruited the homeless specifically for their vote Saturday.
"We've been pretty busy, going to the shelters," campaign volunteer Connie Milstein said. Milstein volunteers for the Gore campaign in New York and came to Milwaukee to help get out the vote.
"They had a couple vans, and said they'd give us a ride. So I took a ride," George Scharf said. Scharf is a homeless voter who said he had planned to vote for Gore anyway, and that voters weren't told about the free cigarettes till after they were at the polls.
"They didn't mention that until we got down there anyway," he said.
However, a Milwaukee Rescue Mission employee told WISN 12 News that he had to ask democratic campaign volunteers to leave the property after he caught them trying to bribe potential voters with packs of cigarettes.
But one voter said that he did not feel like he was bribed for his vote.
"They just came and asked us to go and vote," Bob Socha said. Socha also said that he enjoys voting and was already planning to vote for Gore.
A representative from the Milwaukee County Bush campaign said that the tactics of the Gore campaigners raises a few questions.
"Even aside from the law itself, I just think most people on a gut check level would say that's wrong," "http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm14/asm14.html" (R - 14th District) said. "One has to question if they were going to be voting anyway, one has to question why would the campaign, the Gore campaign, be giving anything out, other than a ride to vote. "
After viewing WISN 12's video tape, a local representative of the Gore campaign issued a response to the democratic campaigners who distributed the cigarettes.
"This kind of activity described by Channel 12 is not the kind of help we ask for and it's the kind of help we flat-out reject. These volunteers were from out of state, acting on their own and this was not part of any official Democratic 'get out the vote' activity in Wisconsin. They have left the state and we will not invite them to return," wrote Susan Lagana, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Coordinated Campaign.
Copyright 2000