GOP operative defends voter drive targeting Republicans

PHOENIX - GOP political operative Nathan Sproul doesn't make apologies for focusing his canvassers on registering Republican voters in battleground states across the country. And the fact that powerful Democrats like Sens. Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy have asked the Department of Justice to investigate him, he takes that as a compliment. "I take great pride in the fact that the Democrats are having hysterical fits about how well we did our job," Sproul said. Sproul and his Chandler, Ariz.-based consulting firm, Sproul & Associates, have come under fire in recent weeks, accused of deceiving would-be voters and destroying Democratic voter registration cards. Former canvassers have come forward in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Oregon alleging they were told to register only Republicans and to "walk away" from people who said they intended to vote for Democrat John Kerry. Some said completed Democratic registration forms had been thrown out or ripped up. Sproul denies any wrongdoing but political opponents say the allegations aren't unexpected. "It comes as no surprise that Nathan Sproul is involved in registering voters in some sketchy way," said Arizona Democratic Party spokeswoman Sarah Rosen. "It seems that whatever he's been doing is finally catching up with him," Rosen said. "Yet the RNC and Republicans seem to keep rewarding him with new contracts." Sproul & Associates received nearly $526,000 from the Republican National Committee since July for voter registration efforts and nearly $490,000 from the RNC for political consulting, according to an analysis by the Political Money Line campaign finance tracking service. Political Money Line also showed that the Arizona Republican Party has paid Sproul $70,000 for consulting and voter registration drives here. "Nathan Sproul is a victim of slanderous statements by the Democrats who will say anything to win," said Arizona Republican Party Executive Director Bill Christiansen. While Sproul denies that any workers were instructed to destroy Democratic registrations, he doesn't dispute that he tried to register more Republican voters than Democrats. After all, it's the reason he was hired by the GOP, he said, and it's fair. "For Democrats to feign anger over it demonstrates their complete lack of integrity," Sproul said. "They do the exact same thing every day of the week." While it is illegal to tamper with voter registration forms - in some states it's a felony - it isn't illegal for groups to decline to register certain voters. However, it is frowned upon by election officials. "It's unethical to not register anyone who comes to you to register," said Karen Osborne, the elections director for Maricopa County, Arizona's most populous county. Rosen said Arizona Democrats were looking into complaints similar to those in other states. But there have been no formal complaints made against Sproul's firm here, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. Whether the Justice Department is investigating Sproul is unclear. A spokesman for Kennedy said the department's civil rights division told staff members on the Senate Judiciary Committee that the matter would be referred to the department's criminal division. The Justice Department didn't return a call seeking comment from The Associated Press. Sproul said he is dealing with the ramifications of the accusations. He said his wife has received angry e-mails about her "evil husband" and his business has been barraged by outraged callers. "Several clients have called to ask exactly what happened," he said. "I think the final business analysis is months, if not years, down the road." He's also fighting some of his accusers. After former canvasser Eric Russell of Las Vegas told news outlets that he watched a Sproul supervisor tear up eight to 10 registration forms completed by Democrats, Sproul filed a slander suit against Russell. "As best as I can tell, the incident he alleges didn't happen," Sproul said. "It caused great discomfort to me, my family and my business." Russell said he managed to grab some of the shredded documents as evidence and state officials in Nevada are investigating his claim. Sproul's ability to coordinate voter registration drives and gather petition signatures has become a staple of his firm, which was founded last year. A self-described "memory native" of Arizona - because Arizona is all he remembers since moving to Tempe at age 2 - the 32-year-old Sproul has been moving in the state's religious and political circles for the last decade. He considered the ministry while studying at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Minnesota. But after he graduated in 1994, he went to Washington to intern for then-Arizona Congressman Jon Kyl. He returned to Arizona in 1995. "I never really found the right job to keep me in D.C.," Sproul said. Sproul worked as a part-time field director for the state's Christian Coalition branch. When he left in January of 1999, he was the executive director. From there he became the executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. He left in 2002 to start his own firm. It grew quickly, in large part because of his GOP contacts. "He's very professional, very mission oriented," said Republican consultant Paul Senseman. "He's somebody that gets things done." Elections Director Osborne said her experience with Sproul during his time with the state party showed him to be "an honorable individual." Republicans praise his work. Others have a different view. "Ultimately, the buck has to stop somewhere," said Bob Grossfeld, a Democratic political consultant in Phoenix. "It's a judgment call whether he comes up against, or has crossed legal and ethical lines."