Va. GOP fires vendor over Fla. issues

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Virginia's Republican Party has canceled its contract with a company it hired to register voters after questions were raised in Florida over voter registration.

The state GOP paid $500,000 to Virginia-based Strategic Allied Consulting in August to provide new voter and absentee ballot registration services, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

Virginia Republican Chairman Pat Mullins said in a statement that the party takes any threat to voting seriously and the decision to terminate the contract was made "following an alleged incident by an employee" of the company.

More than 100 suspect forms submitted by the company in several Florida counties have been turned over to local prosecutors.

The Republican National Committee and state GOP parties in North Carolina and Colorado also have fired the company.

Strategic Allied Consulting has said that it and affiliated companies had registered more than 500,000 voters in years of conservative grass-roots campaigns carried out in 40 states.

The company called recent statements by GOP officials "libelous" and claimed that the problems in Florida were caused by a single rogue employee.

Voters in Virginia must register by Oct. 15 to cast a ballot on Election Day.