ACORN answers voter-fraud allegations

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/POLITICS/10/31/acorn/art.kest.gi.jpg caption="ACORN Executive Director Steve Kest announces the group's lawsuits and television spot Wednesday."]
(CNN) - Community organization ACORN is fighting back after allegations that it is trying to register voters fraudulently and to swing the presidential election for Democrat Barack Obama.

The group this week released a 30-second TV ad calling on Republican candidate John McCain to stop "attempts at voter suppression across the country."

It also said it was filing several lawsuits around the country to halt the alleged suppression.

Republicans have "challenged election officials and they've filed lawsuits in an effort to thwart these new voters - our citizens - from casting their votes on Tuesday. This effort must be stopped," Delaware ACORN board member Hugh Alleyne said during a news conference Wednesday.

ACORN contends it tried to help authorities head off election fraud.

"In nearly every case that has been reported, it was ACORN that discovered the bad forms and called them to the attention of election authorities, putting the forms in a package that identified them in writing as suspicious, encouraging election officials to investigate, and offering to help with prosecutions," ACORN said in an October 9 release.

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