Elections Supervisor Says Mailings Are Eroding Voter Confidence

PASCO COUNTY, FL — The Voter Participation Center and Center for Voter Information have once again targeted Pasco County voters with unwanted, inaccurate information, arousing suspicion and eroding the confidence of the electorate, according to Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley.

"Our call center is taking the brunt of this organization's misguided mail campaigns," Corley said. "Voters react defensively and suspiciously to mail that misspells their name and is seemingly tied to their actual voter registration."

On its website, the Washington, D.C.-based VPC purports to be a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2003 to help members of the "rising American electorate" register and vote.

"We work with election officials and grassroots organizations to make it easier for people like you to register, cast your vote and make your voice heard in our democracy," the VPC says on its website.

Also based in Washington, D.C., the Center for Voter Information says it's a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization "that works to provide even-handed and unbiased information about candidates and their positions on issues," according to its website.

However, for years Corley and other Florida supervisors of elections have battling the two organizations over inaccurate and deceptive mailings that result in frantic calls to elections offices and extra work for elections staff.

Corley said some mailings from the groups appearing to originate from his office have been sent in the names of family pets and long-deceased residents.

"At a time when voter confidence is at an all-time low, these organizations choose to turn a blind eye and become part of the problem instead of the solution," Corley said.

Corley said the latest VPC and CVI mailings are pre-filled, vote-by-mail ballot requests. Many have misspellings in the names and early versions of the form neglect to ask voters for information that is required by Florida statutes.

He said the pre-filled ballots create a backlog for elections staff because they have to contact voters for the required information.

"The mailings of VPC and CVI consistently result in confused and angered voters who are suspicious that their voter registration has in some way been compromised," Corley said. "My No. 1 message to the voters of Pasco is that these mailings are in no way affiliated with my office. We already have reliable tools in place for Pasco voters to register, update their registration, check their status and request a vote-by-mail ballot."

Earlier this month, Corley announced that his office will only post election information directly on the Supervisor of Elections website due to inaccurate and misleading information appearing on the Supervisor of Elections' Facebook and Twitter social media sites about the voting process and the upcoming elections.

"By providing important voter and election information directly from our office, voters can be confident that the information is accurate and nonpartisan," Corley said.

Corley is the only Tampa Bay supervisor of elections to forgo the use of social media to disperse information to the public.