Part Two of Campaign Watchdog

Nov. 3 -- Some people have no shame.

One prank aimed at more gullible voters is circulating, and not for the first time. An e-mail ascribed to the fictitious “2000 Presidential Election Commission” warns that in order to alleviate expected crowding at the polls Republicans and Libertarians will be allowed to vote on Tuesday while Democrats, Greens and Independents will be allowed to vote on Wednesday.

Of course, Tuesday is Election Day for everyone and electioneering is overseen by the Federal Election Commission. This hoax is merely a means of dissuading those of certain parties from casting ballots.

One person who sent out the prank e-mail, according to its header code, was a woman at a bank in San Antonio, Texas. We’ll think twice before asking for her financial advice.

Alias Smith and Jones

Readers of the Voice, a free Salt Lake Valley community newspaper in Utah, may not have had reason to question the glowing article about Republican congressional candidate Derek Smith.

But they might have taken the author’s praise with a grain of salt had they known that “JoAnna Groves” — the byline on the piece — was none other than Smith’s communications director, Laurie Maddox.

According to press coverage in Salt Lake City, the newspaper’s publisher had suggested she write a piece under a pseudonym so that he would not appear to be colluding with the candidate. And Maddox, in speaking with the Salt Lake Tribune, defended the action by claiming, “Literary history is filled with pen names.”

Ah, but is radio history? A few days later, two Smith campaign aides called into a KALL radio show under assumed names, trying to steer conversation away from a recent story about Smith’s business dealings.

Smith campaign manager Todd Thorpe, who appeared on air as “Frank,” admitted his alias but then said: “I don’t think it’s important.”

All this might make John Q. Voter angry enough to write a letter. And someone did, to the Deseret News, complaining about the “liberal” endorsements being received by Smith’s opponent, Democrat Jim Matheson. What the author of the letter, Spencer Call, didn’t mention was that he is the husband of another member of Smith’s campaign staff.