The Political Chase

Is Clinton behind voter suppression in NC, OH, and VA?

(Update I and Update II below)

Robocalls organized by the D.C.-based non-profit organization, Women’s Voices Women’s Votes, have targeted African-American voters in North Carolina, and possibly 23 other states, in what has all the appearances of illegal vote suppression.

The NC State Board of Elections is investigating calls that African-American voters have received where the caller tells the voter they must complete and return a voter registration packet before the voter will be allowed to vote. This is a transcript of one version of the robocalls being made in the state (audio here):

"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."

It is worth noting that under North Carolina law, G.S § 163?275(17), it is a Class I felony to “…directly or indirectly, 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.”

Facing South has confirmed the non-profit is responsible for the robocalls made in North Carolina, and it may be part of a substantially larger operation spanning numerous states. (Emphasis added).

The D.C.-based nonprofit, led by well-connected Washington operatives, claims in a press release they sent to Facing South…that the North Carolina calls are part of a 24-state effort targeted at a list of 3 million voters, especially unmarried women. The robo-calls, which never mention Women’s Voices, are followed by mailings that include information on how to register to vote. They plan to mail some 276,000 packets in North Carolina alone.

But since last November, in at least 11 states nationwide, Women’s Voices — sometimes working through its Voter Participation Center project — has developed a checkered reputation, drawing rebukes from leading election officials and complaints from thousands of would-be voters as a result of their secretive tactics, deceptive mailings and calls, and penchant for skirting or violating the law.

With respect to Virginia and Ohio, Facing South reported (emphases in original):

[…] Voters in Virginia received calls with the same message before that state’s Feb. 12 primaries. . .

On February 8, WAMU reported:

"[...] The state board of elections says at least a dozen people in central and southern Virginia have received automated phone calls this week telling them to expect a voter registration packet in the mail. The residents say they were instructed by the caller to fill out the packets and mail them in."

Facing South has also learned that, last year, voters in Ohio received almost the exact same calls, using the same name of the supposed caller in North Carolina. In November 2007, a voter in Columbus, Ohio wrote in to the Buckeye State Blog with this eerily familiar story:

"I just got a weird robo-call that I suspect may be a form of voter suppression, albeit kinda braindead. From memory, a stentorian voice reminiscent of James Earl Jones says: ‘Hello. This is Lamont Williams. In a few days you should be getting a voter registration form in the mail. Please fill it out and return promptly and you will be able to vote. Thank you.’

"Since the election is Tuesday, the message is nonsensical. Also, I can’t find any information on this Lamont Williams. The caller ID was blocked (’unknown caller’)."

It would be extremely hard to argue that the calls in NC, VA, and OH are coincidental.

It is amazing that the non-profit confirmed they actually made the calls in North Carolina. And considering all the research Facing South has done that suspiciously parallels similar activities in Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Florida, this could be a very big deal. Read more here.

Update:  Sarah Johnson, a spokeswoman for Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes (WVWV), has also confirmed to TPM that the non-profit was responsible for the calls in North Carolina. Johnson said the calls were an "unfortunate mistake."

Update II 4:56 PM:  The Virginia State Police investigated the robocalls in Virginia and found that WVWV was behind the calls there as well.