<a href='http://html.themilwaukeechannel.com/sh/election2000/stories/election2000-2000110' target='_blank'>http://html.themilwaukeechannel.com/sh/ele...ion2000-2000110</a> 5-222208.html

Cigarette 'Bribe' Prompts Call For Criminal Charges
State Election Board Will Also Receive Complaint
MILWAUKEE, Updated 3:49 p.m. EST November 6, 2000 -- Republican Wisconsin state Rep. Scott Walker has asked the Milwaukee County District Attorney to review whether criminal charges should be filed after Milwaukee's WISN 12 News found Al Gore campaigners giving cigarettes to absentee voters outside of City Hall Saturday.

Milwaukee NBC Affiliate WISN 12 News caught volunteers for Vice President Gore's campaign giving packs of cigarettes to homeless voters whom they had transported to cast absentee ballots.

"Anything that gets something of value, be it a $20 bill on the street out here, or a pack of cigarettes, we think is wrong," Walker said. "The trading off of anything, something of worth, in exchange for someone's vote -- not only is it ethically questionable, we believe it's a violation of the law."


Volunteers were visiting area shelters Saturday, offering rides to City Hall where homeless citizens could vote by absentee ballot.


"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.


The volunteers then distributed cigarettes to voters outside City Hall.


Voters interviewed by WISN 12, however, said that they did not feel that they were being bribed by the volunteers for their votes.


"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.


"They had a couple of vans, and said they'd give us a ride. So I took a ride," George Scharf said. Scharf is a homeless voter who said that he had planned to vote for Gore anyway, and that voters weren't told about the free cigarettes until 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.


After viewing WISN 12's videotape Saturday, 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.


In a press release, Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson criticized the Gore campaign volunteers for their actions.


"There is no place for this despicable brand of politics in Wisconsin," Thompson said. "It is unconscionable that the Gore campaign would prey on vulnerable people such as the homeless by rewarding them with cigarettes in exchange for their votes."


The Gore campaign did not have any immediate reaction Sunday to news of the impending Republican complaint. ..

well that was almost 4 years ago, what happened? and really its a moot point now isnt it?

Just a point of interest.

Particularly in context of <a href='http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=655&ncid=655&e=3&u=/oneworld/20040811/wl_oneworld/4536916221092230054' target='_blank'>this.</a>