by Tara Granahan
Former gubernatorial candidate and Rhode Island businessman Ken Block is now going by the name “John Jacob Jingleheimer” …at least on a phony utility bill. He tells WPRO’s Tara Granahan that it only took him 5 minutes to doctor-up his National Grid bill by scanning it and adding the fake name. Now being described as a government watchdog, Block said it would be quite easy to take the altered utility bill and use it to obtain a voter ID card. Block also said he’s been working for years to expose potential voter fraud in RI and doesn’t feel the state is doing enough.
Per Block’s Facebook page:
“Here is the flaw with RI’s voter registration system: the forms of ID allowed to get a state Voter ID card are not checked to confirm they are real. A utility bill, bank statement, health club ID, etc are not ‘strong’ forms of ID unless the State checks with the utility company, bank, etc that the info on the statement is accurate. It is simple to make one of these forms of ID up. This is why it is possible for made-up people to vote.”
After Block appeared on the Tara Granahan Show Wednesday, the Secretary of State’s office issued this response:
“Secretary Gorbea has spent the past three years modernizing our elections systems and takes the integrity of elections seriously. People who willingly violate our elections laws will face criminal prosecution. To be clear, there is nothing illegal or nefarious with not having a SSN or DL number associated with your voter record. In fact, these requirements were not put in place until 2002 with the passage of the federal Help America Vote Act and are only required when you register by mail or via a third party.
Secretary Gorbea welcomes any opportunity to improve the public’s confidence in the integrity of elections. Her office has a track record of constantly improving the access to and integrity of election systems in Rhode Island. She reminds Rhode Islanders that they can report any concerns regarding criminal activity to their local authorities and the Board of Elections.”
Hear Ken’s interview with Tara below:
