Democrats always say that election fraud isn’t a problem, and that most of the reports of election fraud are figments of the conservative mind, but nobody believes the untrustworthy Democrats to tell the truth on anything, and the huge problem of election fraud is no different.

Here we have a case of a Democratic Arkansas State Legislator being caught in an election fraud conspiracy, yet he will probably get away clean due to the D in front of his name. After all, corrupt Democrats seem to look after one another.

Hudson Hallum pleads guilty in election fraud; resigns from office.

The U.S. attorney’s office has announced that four men, including Democratic state Rep. Hudson Hallum of Marion, pleaded guilty today to felony conspiracy to commit election fraud in Hallum’s special election victory last year. The case charges paying for bundled absentee ballots.

All four appeared today in federal court and were released on their own recognizance. The others were Hallum’s father, Kent Hallum, a car dealer; West Memphis police officer Sam Malone and West Memphis City Councilman Phillip Carter.

Here’s the indictment.

It says Carter had used the same absentee ballot fraud strategy in other elections at the state and federal level. Carter organized others, including Malone, a Quorum Court member, School Board member and police officer, to participate. They identified people likely to vote absentee, based on past elections, and arranged to have absentee ballots mailed. They tracked the progress of mailing and completing the ballots and paid voters in cash and other ways for Hallum votes, as well as checking to see how they voted. In one case, $20 was provided for a “family meal” for eight. Ballots for opponent Kim Felker were destroyed. They also conspired to evade the law that limits the number of absentee ballots a bearer may possess. Hallum, who won the runoff by 8 votes, got 394 of his 880 votes by absentee vote. Hallum himself mailed bundles of the absentee votes his group had collected. The group also purchased half pints of vodka to distribute on election day. When questions were raised about the absentee votes, the Hallum group paid $25 each to absentee voters to affirm their votes for Hallum at an Election Commission hearing. The voters came from District 54, which includes West Memphis, Marion, Earle, and Turrell, Arkansas, as well as other rural areas of Crittenden County.

Said the indictment:

On or about May 22, 2011, PHILLIP WAYNE CARTER discussed the HALLUM campaign’s absentee ballot strategy with an individual known to the Attorney for the United States and stated, “Folk gonna vote for whoever pay them.”

Here’s the news release on the case. Jane Duke led the investigation and was quoted:

“The most fundamental rights we enjoy as American citizens include the ability to vote and, if we so choose, to run for elected office. In a nation in which every person’s vote matters, protecting the integrity of the electoral process from those who seek to win office by cheating the system is critical. Voter fraud schemes such as that carried out in the 2011 District 54 race have the devastating effect of eroding public confidence in elected officials and disenfranchising voters,” said Duke.

Members of the House Democratic caucus received this e-mail from Hallum’s address before the announcement:

Hello everyone,
It is with deep regret that I am sending this message out to each of you today. This afternoon I am going to plead guilty to federal charges stemming from an investigation into my special election. I took some bad advice that led to some bad decisions on my part. I am going to stand up and accept full responsibility for my actions. I am truly sorry because I know this news will have an effect on everyone’s upcoming race. I would give anything to be able to change what happened but unfortunately I can not undo the past. Please accept my apologies and if any needs to contact me my number is [ ]. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve with each of you and our state is a better place for what you have done
Sincerely,
Hudson

Hudson Hallum
Chief Paramedic, Crittenden EMS
State Representative (D-Marion)

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