State GOP files injunction against ACORN, secretary of commonwealth

HARRISBURG -- The state Republican Party filed an injunction Friday against Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro Cortes and ACORN, alleging a fair vote on Nov. 4 is impossible because of rampant voter fraud.

The injunction signals a step up in action against ACORN, which for weeks has been the recipient of attacks from the state GOP and John McCain's presidential campaign.

At a press conference in the Capitol, state GOP Chairman Bob Gleason Jr. said the sheer number of registrations submitted by ACORN has overwhelmed many county election offices and the state department has not provided the local bureaus with enough support.

"I am not confident we can trust the results of this election," Gleason said.

Gleason was joined by Sandra Newman, former state Supreme Court Justice and now head of the GOP's Fair Election Task Force, and Vice-Chair Joyce Haas in what the GOP touted beforehand as a major press conference.

But they were far from the only group present at the Capitol. A string of mini-press conferences followed the GOP's event, involving representatives from the state department, the governor's office and eventually ACORN itself.

Chuck Ardo, spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell, offered the most spirited counterattack on the state GOP, saying it is turning to its "Republican hatchet men" to distract attention from what is becoming an inevitable defeat on Election Day.

"They're reading the tea leaves, they see they're going to lose, and they're starting to whine before the ballots are even cast," Ardo said.