Voter Information Center sends ‘vaguely threatening’ letters ahead of election

By now you’ve probably accumulated reams of colorful political pamphlets containing a list of reasons to vote for a candidate or issue.

Then there’s the small, sterile white paper marked with the charitable-looking nonprofit’s emblem. Voter Information Center. Tear off the perforated edges and you will find what some are. buyers They described the internet as “vaguely threatening” The message in bold letters: “Remember, who you vote for is private, but whether you vote or not is public record.”

The letters also include your name, address, and voting history since 2016. Allegedly your neighbor’s information is also included below, but their name and street number have been omitted. A sister organization, the Voter Participation Center, also sent similar letters.

Letters are pouring in as more than a million Marylanders vote in-person early voting and by mail. At least voters in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore, Baltimore County and Montgomery County reported receiving the letters.

If you haven’t voted yet, Gail L. Kitch, executive director of the organization that signed the letter, says her group is watching.

“After the election, we will review these records to determine whether you participated in voting with your neighbors,” the letter says.

Should you be worried? Here’s what you need to know.

What is Voter Information Center/Voter Participation Center?

Washington-based groups, founded in 2003, use mailers and other marketing tools to increase voter turnout, said Tom Lopach, president and CEO of the Voter Information Center and Voter Participation Center. These groups have since helped more than six million people register and vote, he said.

The groups are also nonpartisan, according to their websites, but Lopach and founder Page Gardner are affiliated with the Democratic Party through their former positions as Democratic strategists. Organizations also spent more than $47,000 supporting President Joe Biden’s 2020 candidacy. ProPublica reported.

During the last presidential election season, the groups were criticized for sowing confusion among voters through inaccurate letters. CVI sent 2.25 million absentee ballot applications to Virginia voters in that period, and about a quarter of them had a return envelope labeled: wrong election office, the band previously told The Washington Post. This increased the fear of voters who felt they were the target of election fraud.

Why are these organizations sending letters?

Latest polling data shows the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck-and-neck, with many voting advocacy groups trying to squeeze the remaining votes.

Lopach said the letters are part of the groups’ efforts to increase voting participation. He’s particularly concerned about the millions of voters who rotate through each election season, and he hopes these letters can help fill that gap.

While the VPC addressed mail to unmarried women, people of different ethnicities, and young people, the CVI covered the rest of the population. So far this election season, the two groups have sent 113 million “opt-out” letters, Lopach said. The groups sent a total of 3.5 million letters to Maryland residents. Lopach said they did not target voters in any political party.

“It’s a feeling of guilt,” said Andrew Perrin, a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. “But honestly, if you find it HE Threatening to have someone reveal that you didn’t vote, maybe you should just vote.”

How do groups like this get your voting participation history?

Anyone can submit an application application Buying Maryland’s registered voter list for just $125. This list and the online voter search tool show your voting participation history. These sources also reveal your name, address, date of birth, gender and party affiliation. They do not reveal your voting decisions or other sensitive information.

This information cannot be used for purposes unrelated to the election process. State Board of Elections website.

What do these groups plan to do with your information?

Lopach said people who don’t vote by Election Day will be negatively impacted by a system that generates voter turnout scores. “And for us, that means you’ll probably get more mail.” He said groups send four to seven mailings to particularly stubborn people before they vote.

Lopach also said they don’t plan to send detailed voting participation information to friends, neighbors or family members of non-voters after Election Day.

Are these mails illegal?

People online were disturbed by the letters and say they found them scary. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, intimidation or coercion during any part of the voting process is illegal.

Late Thursday, state Attorney General Anthony G. Brown sent a cease and desist letter to nonprofits saying the companies’ “threats to publicly expose non-voting voters” violated state and federal law. Brown wrote that the nonprofits’ actions were an intimidation tactic that attempted to influence voting selection and methods.

Brown ordered the groups to respond with a statement of intent to stop sending those letters by 5 p.m. Friday or take legal action.

But Perrin says these letters aren’t particularly challenging or scary. “The threat of taking publicly available information and repackaging it slightly does not strike me as problematic or threatening in any way.”

“I appreciate that some people find the letters repulsive,” Lopach said. “All I will say is they need to get out and vote, make sure their voices are heard, and recycle the letters.”

Is this strategy effective?

Over the past decades, CVI and VPC have utilized many marketing campaigns, including calls and other mailings regarding voting deadlines. But Lopach said organizations have found that letters with harsh — even scolding — language are better at persuading voters.

That’s because shame is a good way to encourage someone to vote, Perrin said.

“It’s well established that if you think your neighbors are voting, you’re more likely to do it yourself,” he said. “This mild shaming approach can be effective in reminding people that their neighbors, colleagues and friends are voting, and if they don’t they will be left out.”