A group calling itself the Voter Participation Center is finding itself under scrutiny after several pet owners received voter registration forms in their pets’ names.
The group targets unmarried women, blacks, Hispanics and other groups that typically vote for Democrats. It previously worked in conjunction with the liberal Center for American Progress on voter issues back in 2010.
According to the Associated Press, Seattle, Wash., native Brenda Charlston received a voter registration form from the group already filled out with the name “Rosie Charlston” complete with her correct address. The only problem, “Rosie” Charlston was a black Labrador Retriever that died in 1998.
“I think it’s tampering with our voting system,” Charlston told the AP. “They’re fishing for votes: That’s how I view it.”
A Virginia pet owner reported getting similar documents addressed to his dead dog, Mozart, while another woman reported getting a voter registration form addressed to her cat, Scampers.
The mailings appear officials, labeled “VOTER REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED,” and often has some of the information filled out with an envelope to send to local voter registration officials.
Charlston speculates that her dog’s name was obtained through entry forms that were sold to a mailing list.
The Voter Participation Center blames a vendor that has access to multiple commercial databases for the solicitations.
Caroline Berger, an administrative assistant to Katie Blinn, co-director of elections with the Washington state Secretary of State’s office, told The Olympia Report that her office has received many similar reports, including one form a woman who received a voter application for her dead husband who died in 1977.
The forms request information such as the last four digits of people’s Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers.
“With all the problems over stolen IDs, you bet people think this is a scam,” Berger said.
The group has also raised suspicion from the New Mexico secretary of state’s office, which said that non-citizens reported receiving voter registration forms.
Still other forms distributed by the group have improperly been sent to residents in other states, such as one to be sent to the Virginia State Board of Elections that was sent to a Lansdale, Pa. resident.
And Florida has considered stopping the Voter Participation Center’s activities in the state.
