Voting Rights Advocates Call on Florida Elections Officials to Investigate Voter Intimidation

Today, Common Cause President Bob Edgar condemned the anonymous and fraudulent letters that were sent to eligible Florida voters misstating their voting rights, and called on Florida election officials to investigate this act of voter intimidation. The letters, sent largely to Republican voters in as many as 24 counties, falsely claim that the recipient has been flagged as a suspected noncitizen and therefore cannot vote, even going so far as to list the criminal penalties for voter fraud.

Said Edgar, "We condemn these letters and the perpetrators for this shameful act of voter intimidation.That the letters were sent to a targeted demographic on fake government letterhead should confirm that they were malicious in nature, and we encourage Florida election officials to investigate the matter thoroughly and to the full extent of the law. All eligible citizens should be free to vote with confidence, without fear of intimidation or unjust repercussions. It is critical to the American political process and to the integrity of our democracy, and we cannot tolerate anything less.

"If voters have received these letters they should call 866-OUR-VOTE and report the problem in as much detail as possible. The perpetrators of this effort should be prosecuted."