Conservative Group Mails Incorrect Voter Registration Info To Hundreds Of Residents – And A Cat

According to the North Carolina Board of Elections, hundreds of North Carolina residents – and a cat – have received incorrect voter registration information.

 

The culprit is the Conservative group Americans For Prosperity. AFP sent out an “official application form” with incorrect information.

A form was received by a resident addressed to her cat.  (I just can’t type that enough times)

Since receiving the forms, hundreds of people have called with complaints to the State Board of Elections, Joshua Lawson, a public information officer for the board, said.

“It’s unclear where (Americans for Prosperity) got their list, but it’s caused a lot of confusion for people in the state,” Lawson said.

“The phone calls have consistently been all day, every day,” Lawson said.

The News Observer reports:

The form includes incorrect or conflicting information, as outlined below, according to the State Board of Elections.

• At the top, the form states voter registrations are due 30 days before an election to the State Board of Elections’ office. Below, in smaller type, it states the deadline is 25 days before the election.

The deadline to register to vote is actually 25 days before the general election, but people should send information to their county elections board, not the state board, Lawson said. If voters do send their information to the state board, it will be forwarded to the appropriate county board, Lawson said.

• The first page also states people should return the registration to the N.C. Secretary of State’s office, though the envelope is addressed to the State Board of Elections.

• It states the Secretary of State’s office has an elections division and can answer questions about registration.

The Secretary of State’s office does not handle elections, Lawson said, though other states do house their elections division within their secretary of state’s office. The form also gives the wrong phone number for the Secretary of State’s office – the number is actually for the State Board of Elections.

• The form states that after voters mail in their information, they will be notified of their precinct by their local county clerk.

“There’s no county clerk that would do these things,” said Lawson. “It would come from the county board of elections or the elections director, under their signature.”

• The registration form also includes the wrong ZIP code for the State Board of Elections. The ZIP code associated with the board’s post office box is 27611, and the board’s office ZIP code is 27603.

The cat could not be reached for comment.

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