County elections officials and the Secretary of State’s office have received over 100 complaints from voters who have received letters from a group called the Voter Participation Center. The organization’s letters claim that the voter is not registered to vote and offers a pre-filled voter registration form that has incorrect or outdated information or information for persons who don’t live at the address. In many instances, the voter is in fact properly registered to vote.
California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla explained in a letter to California voters that it is important that organizations conducting voter registration drives through the mail ensure that their voter data is up-to-date and accurate. Causing confusion right before an election is wrong.
“If you have questions about your voter registration status, check directly with your county elections office,” Secretary of State Padilla said. “Many counties have online tools that allow voters to verify their voter registration information. Also, contact information for county elections officials and links to county online voter registration status tools is available on the Secretary of State’s website at: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/. ”
New voters or persons who want to update their voter registration information can visit the Secretary of State’s official voter registration website: http://registertovote.ca.gov/. If you need to update your voter registration information, the deadline is October 24th.
The California Association of Clerks and Election Officials is responding to concerns from voters across the state who may be receiving the solicitation mailings erroneously indicating that residents of households are not registered to vote.
“Whether by accident or otherwise, it is clear that the organization that sent out these mailings used bad data at least in part and failed to compare that data with the existing voter file,” said Dean Logan, CACEO President. “As a result, the mailing has caused unnecessary concern and confusion for voters.”
The Voter Participation Center indicated to the Secretary of State that more than 4.6 million of the letters were mailed statewide. While some of the letters may have been sent to eligible, but not-registered citizens, the surge in calls to Registrars has indicated clear discrepancies in the data causing confusion and concern for Californians just months before the Presidential Election.
County Registrars urge voters to verify their registration status prior to Election Day with their local Registrar of Voters office or website. A listing of county resources for verification is available on the California Secretary of State’s website at: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status/.
Registrars begin mailing Sample Ballots for the election early next month. Any voter receiving a Sample Ballot can be assured that they are listed as active on the voter file. Only voters who have a change in address or name need re-register prior to the October 24th, 2016 voter registration deadline.
