Nonprofit's Voter-Solicitation Drive Confusing Registered Voters In Bay Area

BAY AREA, CA – A national nonprofit voter registration organization is confusing California residents by mailing voter registration solicitations to California residents who are already registered to vote, according to local election departments.

The solicitations by the Voter Participation Center erroneously indicate that residents are not registered to vote, according to the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, a nonprofit representing local and state clerks and registrars of voters.

Napa County Registrar of Voters John Tuteur said more than 14,000 registered voters in Napa County received the confusing letter from the Washington, D.C.-based group that states on its website a mission to
"register and mobilize the rising American electorate."

Santa Cruz County Clerk Gail Pellerin said a 12-year-old girl in Santa Cruz County and a dog that died five years ago in another county received a voter registration solicitation letter from the Voter Participation Center.

The Santa Cruz County Clerk's Office has received about 100 calls from voters who received the group's letter, Pellerin said.

The Voter Participation Center indicated to the Secretary of State that more than 4.6 million letters were mailed statewide, according to the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials.

"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," CACEO President Dean Logan said in a statement.

"The mailing has caused unnecessary concern and confusion for voters," Logan said.

Pellerin, the Santa Cruz County Clerk, said, "I have no idea where the Voter Participation Center got their data, but certainly sending letters to dogs and children encouraging them to register to vote is a huge problem."

"I encourage efforts to increase voter registration among the 25 percent of eligible citizens who have not registered to vote," Tuteur from Napa County said.

However, the data sources the group used included recently registered voters, alternative names of voters, deceased persons and ineligible people, Tuteur said.

He said the federal form circulated by the Voter Participation Center does not include all options available to California voters, including requesting to vote by mail.

The Washington-based group said it has registered 3 million voters by mail and online since 2003 and wants to register one million more this year.

County registrar of voters offices urge voters to verify their registration status before the Nov. 8 election with their local county office or online.

Registrars will begin mailing sample ballots early in October. Any voter receiving a sample ballot can be assured they are listed as active on the voter file, according to the CACEO. Only voters who have a change of
address or name need to re-register before Oct. 24.

If a citizen's name is not among registered voters, they can register online at www.registertovote.ca.gov.

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--Bay City News/Patch file photo