Cleveland – More than 140 billboards in Ohio and Wisconsin warning of the criminal consequences of voter fraud will be taken down starting on Monday after the sponsor chose to remove them rather than reveal its identity, the billboard owner said.
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The billboards, which show a large judge’s gavel and read “Voter Fraud is a felony – up to 3 ½ years and a $10,000 fine,” went up primarily in low-income minority neighborhoods in early October, just weeks before the November 6 elections, and were immediately criticized by voter rights groups as an attempt to intimidate minority voters.
The sponsor was not identified on the billboards owned by Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. The company said this was a violation of its policy against anonymous political ads.
After discussions, the sponsor, whom Clear Channel Outdoor has called a “private family foundation” but declined to name, “thought the best solution was to take the boards down, so we are in the process of removing them,” the company said in a statement.
Crews on Monday will begin taking down 30 billboards in Cleveland, 30 in Columbus and 85 in Milwaukee, Jim Cullinan, vice president of corporate communications for Clear Channel Outdoor, told Reuters.
Cleveland City Councilwoman Phyllis Cleveland, one of the most vocal critics of the billboards, told Reuters on Sunday: “Needless to say I’m happy they will be taken down but I want to know who was behind this in the first place.”
In response to the outcry, Clear Channel Outdoor donated 10 billboards around the Cleveland area that read “Voting Is a Right. Not a Crime!”
This is exactly why america is in shambles, trying to be politicly correct and giving away everything for the world, can someone explain to me why it had to be taken down? Isn’t voter fruad a crime??? Or Are they really afraid that legitimate voters will think that voting is a crime???
The problem is that there are no federal standards, or any uniform standards throughout the country, pertaining to voter registration, or the type of voting machine to be used. There are over 4,000 counties in the USA, each one with their own rules and standards. Within a given state, the latest electronic voting machines may be used, as well as machines with the old mechanical levers, and even paper ballots. There have been cases of voters being registered, and casting ballots in more than one state! Most states don’t even exchange data regarding voter information. This antiquated system much change. One would have thought that after the 2000 fiasco in Florida with the hanging chads, etc., that a better system would have been in place by this time. Our country could send 12 men to the moon, and safely return them to earth. However, we can’t seem to get the kinks out of our voting system.
In reply to Number One, there are many things we can say under free speech. Saying some of them makes you look like a bigot and an idiot. The unnamed persons who placed this ad understood this. They wanted to say something they knew was legal, but did not want to look like bigots and idiots.
Many here could follow the example.
Am I missing something.? If the company does not allow “anonymous” political ads how did 130 of them get put up in the first place ?