Lawmakers seek voter fraud inquiry

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WAVY) - Three local congressmen have written a letter to the Justice Department calling for a multi-state investigation into voter fraud.

Virginia Congressmen Bobby Scott (D), Gerry Connolly (D) and Jim Moran (D) wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder Tuesday, asking the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into voter fraud stemming from a Harrisonburg, Va. incident last week.

Read the letter here.

Colin Small, an employee of Pinpoint, a contractor hired by the Virginia Republican Party, was arrested and charged with 13 counts of voter registration fraud when he was allegedly seen throwing away voter registration applications in Rockingham County.

Pinpoint operates throughout the Commonwealth, including Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.

The lawmakers are asking for a multi-state investigation as Pinpoint is a subsidiary of Strategic Allied Consulting, currently under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

"The right to vote needs to be protected and you have a group now that's being implicated in voter fraud in several state," Scott told WAVY.com."There looks like there is a conspiracy of widespread voter fraud."

The company faces 200 allegations of voter registration fraud in Florida and more possible cases in Arizona and Colorado.

"We are concerned that the alleged illegal practices may be continuing under its subsidiary Pinpoint. We respectfully request the Justice Department to assume the responsibility and conduct its own investigation, given the mounting evidence that one company may have been engaged in a similar multi-state effort to commit voter registration fraud. We believe the circumstances warrant a broader federal review," the congressmen wrote.

The congressmen's letter comes a day after Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote a letter explaining he could not investigate the incident. He wrote that unless the State Board of Elections or a local Commonwealth's Attorney asks him to investigate, he cannot look into the fraud.

Five state committees and the Republican National Committee have cut their ties with Strategic Allied Consulting.