If you are registered to vote in the state of Florida, you might be confused after receiving voter registration mailers incorrectly saying you not registered to vote.
The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections said often these mailing lists are created from data that is incorrect, which results in voter registration applications being sent to registered voters, deceased persons, children and even pets.
According to TCPalm, hundreds maybe even thousands of voters across the state received the erroneous letters.
Most recently in Broward County, a Sunrise resident warned the Broward County supervisor of elections office about a letter from the group "Center for Voter Information." The letter was sent to his wife who died in 2015.
The envelopes even said “important government documents enclosed” and included a Tallahassee return address.
A report from TCPalm says about 7,000 Broward County residents got similar letters from the "Center for Voter Information," which is based in Washington, D.C.
When in doubt, voters should go online and visit registertovoteFlorida.gov to either submit a new registration or update their existing record. If you need assistance, call the voter assistance hotline at 1-866-308-6739.
On Tuesday, Palm Beach County supervisor of elections Wendy Sartory Link alerted voters of the mail campaign that was initiated by The Voter Participation Center/Center for Voter Information.
The Voter Participation Center is a registered third-party organization with the State of Florida.
Link said the third-party organizations is not affiliated in any way with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office, the state or other local election officials.
Voters with questions or concerns regarding these mailings are encouraged to reach out to the Center for Voter Information at 202-766-6575.
Click here to unsubscribe from the organization by visiting https://www.centerforvoterinformation.org/unsubscribe/
Below is a statement from Page Gardner, the president and founder of the Voter Participation Center:
The Voter Participation Center is a non-profit and non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing participation in our democracy. We are mailing more than 450,000 voter registration applications to Florida residents, to make it fast and easy for them to register to vote. Voting is our most essential American right, and yet one on three eligible citizens in Florida (37.3%) is not registered to vote—including nearly 3 million people of color, young people and unmarried women. We know our mail pieces will encourage many Florida residents to register and vote in next year’s crucial elections. In fact, in our history, we have helped about 500,000 Florida residents participate in our democracy.
VPC mail pieces provide transparency and clearly state: “If you have recently updated your registration or are ineligible to vote, please disregard this notice,” and “To check your current voter status or to register online, please visit RegisterToVoteFlorida.Gov,” and “This mailing has been paid for by the Voter Participation Center (VPC). VPC is a non-government, nonprofit, and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization. VPC is not affiliated with state or local election officials.”
VPC’s mission is to increase civic engagement among traditionally underrepresented Americans, including members of the Rising American Electorate: people of color, unmarried women and millennials. The Rising American Electorate is responsible for over 80% of the growth in the U.S. population since 2000, and now comprises the majority of voting-eligible Americans. But because RAE members are statistically less likely to be registered to vote or engaged in the political process, they’re underrepresented in the voting booth. VPC’s goal is to turn that around, so that the voices of the RAE are heard in numbers proportionate to their strength in the population.