North Carolina Voters urged to use caution with mailed offers

Voters beware! Its election season, and the mischief and misfeasance abounds!

The Richmond County Daily Journal warns voters in North Carolina to be cautious in trusting election related mailings. Offers to help people register to vote or to get an absentee ballot may be legitimate, or they may be attempts at identity theft. Some mailers are honest efforts to help voters yet contain incorrect or incomplete information that may do more harm than good.

At a minimum, the mailers can cause confusion or suspicion, at worst case, the mailers may have errors that can disenfranchise the voter, and some mailers may be efforts at identity theft.

Voters urged to use caution with mailed offers
By David Wall/Richmond County Daily Journal Monday, September 15, 2008

Voters are being advised to read carefully any election data they get in the mail regarding absentee voting.

In addition to the question of whether absentee ballot requests are legitimate, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning to all U.S. residents, to be cautious of fraudulent voter registration drives used to commit identity theft.

According to the FTC, scammers are attempting to obtain individual Social Security numbers, supposedly to register a person to vote through the use of mass mailings, unsolicited telephone calls and e-mails. In fact it is merely another way for them to steal for unsuspecting people, the agency said.

As a rule, federal officials advise organizations conducting legitimate voter registration drives either contact you in person or give you a voter registration form to fill out yourself. They will never ask for your financial information.

Read everything carefully

“As with any relay of information, concerning a citizen exercising their right to vote, please verify all information on a request for an absentee ballot or a registration form is accurate and complete,” said Connie Kelly, Richmond County’s elections supervisor.“All voter registration changes or new registrations must be completed and received by the board of elections by Oct. 10. If there is an
issue or a problem that has arisen, there is plenty of time now to handle it and correct the situation.”

...Mail-in ballot requests must be received at the board of elections by Oct. 28, and the ballots must be returned by 5 p.m. Nov. 3.

Get more information on how to request an absentee ballot here at the State Board of Elections

Make sure you are registered to vote or that your registration is up to date and you know where to vote: see the State Board of Elections voter look up