CLEVELAND - A man at the center of a voter-registration scandal told The Post yesterday he was given cash and cigarettes by aggressive ACORN activists in exchange for registering an astonishing 72 times, in apparent violation of Ohio laws.

"Sometimes, they come up and bribe me with a cigarette, or they'll give me a dollar to sign up," said Freddie Johnson, 19, who filled out 72 separate voter-registration cards over an 18-month period at the behest of the left-leaning Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

"The ACORN people are everywhere, looking to sign people up. I tell them I am already registered. The girl said, 'You are?' I say, 'Yup,' and then they say, 'Can you just sign up again?' " he said.

Johnson used the same information on all of his registration cards, and officials say they usually catch and toss out duplicate registrations. But the practice sparks fear that some multiple registrants could provide different information and vote more than once by absentee ballot.

ACORN is under investigation in Ohio and at least eight other states - including Missouri, where the FBI said it's planning to look into potential voter fraud - for over-the-top efforts to get as many names as possible on the voter rolls regardless of whether a person is registered or eligible.

It's even under investigation in Bridgeport, Conn., for allegedly registering a 7-year-old girl to vote, according to the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

Meanwhile, a federal judge yesterday ordered Ohio's Secretary of State to verify the identity of newly registered voters by matching them with other government documents. The order was in response to a Republican lawsuit unrelated to the ACORN probe in Cuyahoga County, in which at least three people, including Johnson, have been subpoenaed.

Bribing citizens with gifts, property or anything of value is a fourth-degree felony in Ohio, punishable by up to 18 months in prison. And it's a fifth-degree felony - punishable by 12 months in jail - for a person to pay "compensation on a fee-per-registration" system when signing up someone to vote.

Johnson, who works at a cellphone kiosk in downtown Cleveland, said he was a sitting duck for the signature hunters, but was always happy to help them out in exchange for a smoke or a little scratch. He'd collected 10 to 20 cigarettes and anywhere from $10 to $15, he said.

The Cleveland voting probe, first reported by The Post yesterday, also focused on Lateala Goins, who said she put her name on multiple voter registrations. She guessed ACORN canvassers then put fake addresses on them. "You can tell them you're registered as many times as you want - they do not care," she said.

ACORN spokesman Kris Harsh said the group does not tolerate its workers paying people to sign the voter-registration cards.

ACORN's political wing has endorsed Barack Obama for president, but Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign in Ohio, said ACORN has no role in its get-out-the-vote drive.

During the primary season, however, the Obama camp paid another group, Citizen Service Inc., $832,598 for various political services, according to Federal Elections Commission filings. That group and ACORN share the same board of directors.

In Wisconsin yesterday, John McCain blasted ACORN.

"No one should be corrupting the most precious right we have, that is the right to vote," he said.

It's a right Johnson will exercise. "Yeah, I've registered enough - I might as well vote."

but Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign in Ohio, said ACORN has no role in its get-out-the-vote drive.

if anyone believes THIS after the TRUTH about Obama's ties to this organization, than you prolly believe obama is running against George Bush for president this year.....

heres a few more articles with some disturbing facts about Obama and his ties to this organization that is doing something like registeng ONE person 72 times, or registering dead or underage people so they can use their votes.

funny how Dem's and public dem support (I like chirs rock, but one of the things in his new Special washow even if obama gets the most votes he isnt gonna win cause they wont let him) seem to think that the republicans are so underhanded and people like Obama and people he asscociates with walk on water.

its scary to think how much more we will find out about the "Real" Barry Sotero, er, Barack Obama in the next month....actually, what is SCARY is how much we ARENT gonna find out, and then god forbid he gets elected, and then we find this stuff out AFTER he did....





and the best the dems can do is connecting McCain to the Keating thing.....funny, Obama and his campaign wants us to treat his william Ayers connection like its NOTHING, "nah, dude tried to blow up teh captiol, and has always said that he wished he blew up MORE shit, even now, but THATS IN THE PAST" WHICH AGAIN WAS NOT BROUGHT UP BY MCCAIN's PEOPLE (Palin) UNTIL IT WAS REPORTED ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NY TIMES... but proceeds to bring up Keating I DIDNT SEE A REPORT ABOUT THIS ON THE FRONT OF THE NY TIMES RECENTLY.....but thats OK to talk about, even tho its 26 years of more in the past.

hm.

and, OH YEAH.... reminding us every 30 seconds that George Bush is a Republican, and since John McCain is a republican, they MUST be the same person....

funny, lest you KEEP FORGETTING....YOU ARE NOT RUNNING AGAINST GEORGE BUSH. this is 2008...NOT 2000 or 2004.

i find it mind boggling that peoples hate for George Bush is SO strong that they are ignoring how scary Barack Obama REALLY IS.... ANY other election year, there is NO WAY anyone in their right mind would actually vote for this man, needless to say how the dems would put up such an unqualified, truly scary individual.

how can you people ignore facts like he sat in chruch EVERY SUNDAY for 20 years listening to Jeramiah Wrights message of hate? how he pretty much got his start in politics working with a TERRORIST, William Ayers? or, funny people Talking about McCain and the S+L..... HOW ABOUT OBAMA AND REZKO?!?!?!? dude was robbing and stealing via Real Estate FROM OBAMAS OWN ELECTION DISTRICTS!!! or the fact this his WIFE, he goes to bed with EVERY NIGHT, wasnt ever poud of ANYTHING AMERICA OR ANY AMERICAN DID between her 18th birthday ("my adult life") till Barack looked like he was assured the presidential nom. or how THEY point out McCain's Partisanship towards republican party, yet FAIL TO LEAVE OUT HOW OBAMA IS THE 2ND MOST PARTISANED DEMOCRAT IN TEH SENATE. he N E V E R has taken a stand Against ANYTHING his party has EVER DONE. now something like ACORN comes along.

when it comes to Charachetr Issues, and, dealings under the table, BARACK OBAMA it seems has WAY more in common with George Bush than John McCain.