Ohio think tank sues ACORN over voter registration

COLUMBUS (AP) — A conservative think tank in Columbus on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, known as ACORN, over the group’s voter registration drives.

On behalf of two southwest Ohio voters, the Buckeye Institute alleges that ACORN engages in a pattern of corrupt activity that amounts to organized crime.

The lawsuit filed in Warren County Common Pleas Court uses a civil provision in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as RICO.

The suit seeks the dissolution of ACORN, which has been accused of registering potential voters multiple times in Ohio and other states.

“We’ve seen this conservative play book before,” said ACORN spokesman Brian Kettenring. “In 2004, conservative groups sued ACORN and other voter entitlement groups, and that suit was quickly thrown out.

“I’m not an attorney, but having looked at the suit, it seems politically motivated and baseless.”

The RICO statute most commonly is used to prosecute alleged members of organized crime.