Elections board hunting robocaller | newsobserver.com projects
From the NC News & Observer
Elections board hunting robocaller
State elections officials are asking for the public's help in identifying the source of misleading and potentially illegal robocalls.
In at least one version of the call, a man says that voter registration packets must be returned before a person can vote. The State Board of Elections released a transcript of the call.
"Hello, this is Lamont Williams. In the next few days, you will receive a voter registration packet in the mail. All you need to do is sign it, date it and return your application. Then you will be able to vote and make your voice heard. Please return the voter registration form when it arrives. Thank you."
Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina, said in a news release that the calls were being made to African American households. The good government watchdog posted audio of the call.
"This is another in a long line of deceptive practices used in North Carolina and elsewhere that particularly target African-American voters," Hall said. "In our view, this phone message plainly violates North Carolina law. We ask the Attorney General, State Bureau of Investigation, and the State Board of Elections to investigate, expose, and prosecute the sponsors of these calls."
Hall said that in North Carolina, it is a Class I felony for any person "to misrepresent the law to the public through mass mailing or any other means of communication where the intent and the effect is to intimidate or discourage potential voters from exercising their lawful right to vote."
The state board is asking anyone with information about the source of the calls to contact the State Board of Elections at (919) 733-7173 or toll free 1-866-522-4723. If any citizens are uncertain about their voter registration status, they may call their county board of elections or check online.