Thursday, September 25, 2008 For Immediate Release
Contact: Sarah Bailey 304.558.6000
Secretary of State Betty Ireland Issues Voter Registration Fraud Advisory
CHARLESTON, WV – Today Secretary of State Betty Ireland held a press conference to address concerns arising from possible fraudulent voter registration activity occurring in West Virginia. “My office takes the matter of election fraud very seriously, and every precaution is being taken to make sure no voter is disenfranchised by this activity.” Secretary Ireland stated. Preliminary investigations reveal that several hundred voter registration applications have been filed containing, in some instances, forged signatures, inaccurate addresses or other identifying information, and/or changes to party affiliation. It has been reported that some individuals are submitting voter registration forms with names and addresses that have simply been lifted from the phone book. It is believed that individuals who are being paid by third party groups to register voters are responsible for the voter registration applications at issue. Reports in the national media indicate similar activity also is taking place in other states. The United States Attorneys Office in the Southern District of West Virginia, FBI, United States Postal Service and the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office, are currently investigating any crimes that may have been committed by those responsible for filing fraudulent voter registration forms. Initially, the activity appeared to be limited to Kanawha County. However, since the press conference, computer generated reports indicate similar activity may have occurred in Monongalia and Jefferson counties. Fraud investigators from the Secretary of State’s Office continue to assess whether it has occurred in remaining counties in West Virginia. All of West Virginia’s 55 county clerks have been alerted to be on the lookout for possible fraudulent activity in their counties and have been advised by the Secretary of State’s office to take extra precautions to prevent problematic registrations from being part of any voter’s file. Safeguards are in place in West Virginia’s Statewide Voter Registration System to detect registration changes.
“Voter registration drives conducted by third parties are perfectly legal in West Virginia and we encourage groups to undertake the effort to register our citizens to vote. However, when these voter registration drives are not carried out in a responsible and legal manner, significant problems can result,” Secretary Ireland cautioned. While citizens should not be alarmed by this advisory, they should be aware of these important precautions: 1. If you are approached by an individual or a group of people seeking to register you to vote, remember: If you have already registered to vote, you do not need to register again in order to vote in the upcoming General Election. (You can call the county clerk’s office to see if you are registered if you are unsure. Or, you can visit WVvotes.com) 2. If you decide to register to vote using an application form provided by a third party, if you are able, fill out the form yourself. Most importantly, SIGN the registration application form yourself. Do not allow someone else to sign your name for you on this form. 3. Do not provide voter registration information over the telephone. Ask the caller to mail you the registration form and tell the caller that you will fill it out and send it to the county clerk’s office yourself. 4. If you receive a notice, or a letter, from your county clerk indicating there has been a change to your voter registration status that you did not initiate, call your county clerk immediately and advise that the change was not made by you. 5. If you are voting for the very first time and you have not already provided verification of your name and address to your county clerk, current law requires that you provide this information at the polls, only when you go to vote for the very first time. “We take this matter very seriously and are using all available resources to identify fraudulent voter registration filings and to make sure they do not affect any registered voters’ ability to have their vote cast and counted on Election Day,” Secretary Ireland emphasized.
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