Palestra.net went out on the streets to ask volunteers, who tried to get people to register to vote, how they worked exactly. They are nonpartisan volunteers, working for nonpartisan organizations.

“Are you encouraging them to vote for Obama?” the Palestra journalist asked. “Yes I do,” the ‘nonpartisan’ volunteer said.

The volunteer, Mary Lathon, was a volunteer for Faith Vote Columbus, a so-called nonpartisan organization, dedicated to registering voters, regardless of who they would vote for. 

The reality of the situation, however, is completely different.

“Yes, yes, yes, I think it’s time for change,” Lathon asked whether she supported Obama and told others to do the same.

“And are you encouraging them to vote for Obama?” Palestra.net asked.

“O yes, really, I am,” Lathon asked.

“So… you tell them to vote for Obama,” the college journalist asked just to be sure. “Uhuh, yes.” “You do tell them?” “Yes, I do.”

She then realized that her honest answers may not look very good, since she’s working for a supposed nonpartisan organization (with all the benefits such organizations receive). So when the journalist asked “so you are going out there to get votes for Obama, not just to register them to vote?” Lathon laughed, turned, ran away while saying “I’ve got to go.”

You can watch the video here.

The videos at Padestra.net are likely to increase the criticism of ‘nonpartisan organizations’ trying to get Americans to register to vote. As many conservatives have argues in recent days, those nonpartisan organizations seem to do more, or less depending on your view on the matter, than they are allowed and supposed to do.

There is also this video at Padestra.net which shows Palestra.net’s Shelby Holliday talking to Lauren Long of Columbus, Ohio. The citizen explained to Holliday that she had registered many times, so many times in fact that “she cannot count” the amount. She signs up whenever asked to do so.

When she tells the ACORN volunteers she already registered, they ignore it, and go ahead registering her again. In fact, Holliday asked whether ACORN volunteers ever say “doesn’t matter, I want to register you again.” Long responded firmly: “yes.”

Meanwhile, no one at local ACORN offices is allowed to talk to media. This once again reaffirms the suspicion that ACORN is stepping outside the borders of propriety and, possibly the law. More research into ACORN is certainly called for; the effort to get people living in poor parts and neighborhoods of the country to register to vote is a good one, but the way these ‘nonpartisan organizations’ handle it is an atrocity.