Be wary of voter mail solicitation Released 9-26-16
SEPT. 26, 2016 NEWS RELEASE
Lawrence County Clerk Gary Emerson is warning voters about a voter mail solicitation that erroneously tells voters they are not registered to vote. It is also being mailed to deceased voters / underage voters / non-citizens and in some cases in other states, people’s pets.
The mailing is from the Voter Participation Center, a D.C. based non-profit organized, they say, to “register and mobilize the rising American electorate”. They utilize numerous commercial mailing lists – primarily targeting women – and try to match those to the state voter database to determine who is not registered. The mailings started arriving in Lawrence County residences last week.
Unfortunately their data matching protocols are so bad they are causing considerable confusion and concern to voters. By using our return address on the reply envelope many recipients believe the mailing is from our office. This activity causes some people to believe we are trying to register people who are not legally allowed to vote. It also may cause valid registered voters not to vote because they have been erroneously told they are not registered.
Other problems include:
The mailings state the voter registration applications must be postmarked by October 17 when the correct deadline is October 12.
Emerson encourages voters who receive a form telling them they are not registered to call our office at 417-466-2638.
NO VOTER SHOULD TAKE THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THIS GROUP AS ACCURATE WITHOUT CHECKING.
Voters should know that applications received from this organization will undergo special scrutiny. Every voter application is matched to the Social Security, Department of Corrections and Department of Health databases to filter out invalid applications for deceased, non-citizen, felons and underage applicants to ensure they are not added to the list of registered voters.
For more information, contact the Lawrence County Clerk's Office, 417-466-2638.