Confusion In Avon Over Voter Registration Letters

AVON, CT — A confusing voter registration letter sent out by a national nonprofit has Avon officials telling residents to call the town if they're unsure if they are registered to vote in town.

With elections approaching this November, the national nonprofit "Voter Participation Center" recently sent letters in the mail to several residents, town officials said.

Those letters — which originated from the organization's Albany, N.Y., office — "appear to be coming from the town clerk's office," wrote local officials.

"The letters say that you are not registered to vote. Residents are then instructed to fill out the paperwork and send it in," wrote the Town of Avon.

The letters, however, originate from the organization's office at 45 Hudson Ave., Albany, N.Y., and were not sent from the Town of Avon.

As a result, some folks already registered to vote may have also received letters saying they are not.

Local officials urge people to check with the town clerk's office to determine if they are registered to vote.

When reached Tuesday morning, officials with the pro-voter registration nonprofit said the goal is, simply, to get as many people registered to vote as possible, especially minorities.

“The Voter Participation Center (VPC) and our partner organization, the Center for Voter Information (CVI), are the nation’s largest non-partisan, non-profit organizations working to ensure the 'new American majority' — people of color, young people, and unmarried women — participate in democracy equal to their presence in society," wrote Tom Lopach, chief executive officer, Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information

He said, since 2003, the organization has helped more than 6.1 million people register to vote.

"This month, VPC and CVI are bringing democracy directly to Connecticut citizens’ doorsteps by providing 33,595 residents with voter-registration applications. Those that are eligible can simply use the enclosed state voter-registration form, sign it, and mail in their voter-registration application," he wrote.

He said the organization works to ensure there is no confusion regarding a voter's status, saying the forms are, simply, for those who are not registered.

"VPC and CVI use the very same voter-registration forms used by county election officials. In fact, we provide sample letters to state election officials months before the mailers go out. If an individual receives our mailer and is already registered to vote, they can simply discard it. We make this clear in the letter that voters receive from our organizations.

"We hope that all election officials will support the important work of helping underrepresented citizens register and vote this year.”

Those unsure if they are registered can call the Avon Town Clerk's Office at 860-409-4310 or the Avon Registrar of Voter's Office at 860-409-4350 to check.