RNC Halts Voter Registration Because of Scandal

The Republican National Committee ended its ties with Strategic Allied Consulting, a firm hired to register voters for the 2012 election, as Florida prosecutors investigate suspected voter fraud. The RNC's decision to cancel its contract with Strategic Allied, founded by Nathan Sproul, comes just days before voter registration deadlines in many battleground states. This judgment has essentially halted all Republican registration effort in the key swing states of Florida, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, and North Carolina.

With a close election there are concerns whether or not the allegations will hurt the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney. "In any swing state that's going to be significant because these elections are so close," Lance deHaven-Smith, a Florida State University political science professor in Tallahassee said. "This gives an advantage to Obama."

Sproul has a history of prior questionable election actions, such as discarding voter registration forms completed by Democrats, in an effort to aid Republican candidates, but none of these allegations have led to formal charges.

Media Resources: Maddow Blog 10/02/12; Bloomberg 10/01/12; LA Times 09/27/12

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