Voter registration letters concern local and state election officials
RENO, Nev. (News 4) — If you've received an "official looking" letter from the "Voter Participation Center" informing you that you are not registered to vote, you are not alone.
Washoe County's Voter Registrar Luanne Cutler said letters from this group surface around the time of General Elections, particularly in Presidential election years. But she said, "It is of great concern to us because it alarms voters who think maybe someone stole their identity or we are not doing our jobs."
CLICK HERE for information from the Secretary of State's Office on this topic.
CLICK HERE to verify your voter registration status.
A website for the "Voter Participation Center" describes the organization as non-partisan and not for profit. CLICK HERE to learn more about the VPC. The organization is a voter registration advocacy group. The letters encourage you to fill out their voter registration form and the envelope provided goes to the Secretary of State's Office.
The problem is the letters can contain inaccurate or dated information. Cutler said, "Some people are astonished when they receive the letter because they have voted in several elections without a problem. We can sometimes get these forms back with a voter writing on top 'deceased for 5 years,' or 'address changed years ago." She added, "They think we have not done our job and didn't update their address or information when they asked us to do so."
The mailer has a Carson City return address but when we dropped by to talk with someone, the address turned out to be a UPS store so the address was a P.O. Box.
We spoke with Wayne Thorley, Deputy Secretary of Elections. He said PVC reached out to his office indicating the letters were going out. But he added, "We're hearing information from local election officials statewide. They say they're getting complaints from their voters that some of the information is dated or inaccurate."
He said he has not seen any evidence warranting concerns about voter fraud, but Thorley said the letters can cause unnecessary confusion, which can put a strain on state or local resources.
