Our friends at Liberaland have reported that according to the North Carolina Board of Elections, hundreds of North Carolina residents — and one resident cat — have received incorrect voter registration information. The culprit? The illustrious Americans for Prosperity, which was founded by the Koch brothers and still funded by them.
The uber-conservative group sent out an “official application form” with incorrect information. Hundreds of people have complained to the State Board of Elections. Joshua Lawson, a public information officer for the board said the following:
?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.
One resident received a voter registration form addressed to her cat, Lawson said.
From the News Observer:
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 fact is, misinformation about voter registration is a felony if it’s found to be intentionally misleading or an attempt to suppress voters. Joshua Lawson points out that no one is (yet) alleging that.
A resident who received the form in the mail is concerned that with changing voter registration laws in North Carolina, information needs to be accurate.
?I went to the Board of Elections website so I could make sure about what my suspicions were,? she said. ?I’ve always been a big proponent of voting. I was like, ?You know, this is really irritating.? ?
?People don’t really know ? they assume what they get in the mail is true,? said Alison Beal of Wake Forest.
Beal has been involved in past voter registration drives, so she noticed the mistakes immediately and took action.
Do you think Americans for Prosperity, a highly organized Koch-funded and created group, would make a mistake like this? I do not. Absolutely not. What I do believe is that they took steps to make it look like an innocent mistake should they get busted. But their mission is accomplished. After all, how many people will truly read articles like this and question what they received in the mail?
Not many.
It will be interesting to see if my site gets another DDoS attack as it did last time I wrote about the Kochs.
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Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
