8:10 am my cell phone rings- it’s Jeff Mims. He’s calling, the day before, to tell me that he is organizing a youth voting event tomorrow. One where I can’t speak, I can’t hand out literature, and one where after they vote, he feeds them. This is after having school buses deliver 18 year olds to the RTA Cultural Center, at public expense.
I question both the limits on free speech- he says they can only use whats in the League of Women Voters guide to make their choices, and I question the feeding, because, well, it’s illegal:
Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote (emphasis added) or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate; and
Whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 721; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §?330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §?601(a)(12), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3498.)
Calling the local FBI office, which promised us more indictments of the “Culture of Corruption” in Dayton, I’m told it’s not a violation.
I bet if I organized an outing where I offered to feed you after you vote, I’d be charged to the hilt.
The belief that the LWV voters guide is somehow a vetted trusted source of info about candidates is criminal in itself. The last time I ran, they spelled my name wrong.
Jeff said he’s been doing this for 9 years. This is not the first time I’ve been on the ballot, however this is the first time I’ve been notified of it in advance by Mr. Mims.
I’m still waiting for the DOJ and the FBI to indict someone other than 3 elected African American men and one restaurateur/mortician as the kingpins of a “culture of corruption” as promised in April.
I know a lot of other people are too. Can we get an official explanation of why no other charges have been brought, or why they lied to us?
UPDATE
less than 10 minutes after publishing this, the FBI and the DOJ announced that they are indicting 3 more people.
U.S. Attorney and FBI to announce fraud charges arising from public corruption case
DAYTON – Today the government is unsealing charges against three individuals who are facing fraud charges in connection to a public corruption investigation in Dayton.
The briefing will be held:
TODAY: TUESDAY, OCT. 29, 2019 WHEN: 2:30 P.M.
WHERE: Walter H. Rice Federal Building First floor conference room 200 West Second Street Dayton, Ohio 45402
WHO: U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman Joseph M. Deters, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI
Room available beginning at 2:15 P.M. No TV lighting provided. ID and valid media credential will be required for entrance at Security.
As usual, esrati.com will be there with camera rolling, unless the US Attorney General wants to try to practice viewpoint discrimination.
That law only applies to federal elections.
It just gets stranger as time goes on. I voted yesterday at 1 p.m. Fortunately I was the only voter there because I didn’t find the new machines voter friendly. First I put the ballot in backwards and next ballot has to be entered into separate machine. Well I got that upside down & can imagine the lines on election day! I voted for Shenise and you & school board candidate Gabriela Pickett & her westside running mates.
So there were speeches- there was campaign literature.
And I was misinformed of the time.
Called the BOE, who referred me to the Ohio Ethics Commission, who referred me to the SOS- who didn’t answer, so I called the Ohio AG who said it wasn’t their problem, back to the SOS- who called and told me to call the prosecutor, who wouldn’t take the complaint- so I called regional dispatch, who asked what law would they charge it under, ORC or elections law.
I got a call back from the SOS- with this info- it’s in the ORC
3599.01 Bribery.
(A) No person shall before, during, or after any primary, convention, or election:
(1) Give, lend, offer, or procure or promise to give, lend, offer, or procure any money, office, position, place or employment, influence, or any other valuable consideration to or for a delegate, elector, or other person;
(2) Attempt by intimidation, coercion, or other unlawful means to induce such delegate or elector to register or refrain from registering or to vote or refrain from voting at a primary, convention, or election for a particular person, question, or issue;
(3) Advance, pay, or cause to be paid or procure or offer to procure money or other valuable thing to or for the use of another, with the intent that it or part thereof shall be used to induce such person to vote or to refrain from voting.
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of bribery, a felony of the fourth degree; and if he is a candidate he shall forfeit the nomination he received, or if elected to any office he shall forfeit the office to which he was elected at the election with reference to which such offense was committed.
Source: Lawriter – ORC – 3599.01 Bribery.
So I called back the Sgt Williams at the Regional Dispatch Center- who will now dispatch.
“Culture of Corruption”- nah, culture of ignorance of the law….