Political Groups’ Mailings Often Mislead, Confuse Voters

State election officials are warning voters to be skeptical of mailings from political action organizations that include instructions about where and when to vote that are sometimes inaccurate.

The slick mailings, often with partisan messages about whom to vote for, show up in people’s mailboxes every year, according to Reid Magney at the Government Accountability Board. Magney said there’s nothing illegal about them, but they can be misleading when the letter appears to be coming from a city clerk’s office.

“Very often people read this and they’ll call the clerk and say, ‘Why are you sending out this information? Why are you working with these people?’ And the clerk isn’t working with them (and) did not send it out. But the way the flier is put together, they misunderstand them,” said Magney.

Magney said that some of the fliers tell voters they’re not registered when they actually are, or give them the wrong address to obtain an absentee ballot.

“Our municipal clerks are really diligent and try to make sure things get to the right place, if they get something from someone who isn’t one of their voters,” said Magney. “But that could cause someone to not be registered or to not get their absentee ballot.”

Magney said the Milwaukee Election Commission has already received more than 100 complaints, mostly from elderly voters, about a mailing from the nonpartisan Voter Participation Center telling them they may not be registered to vote when they actually are. Magney said there’s no evidence the mailings are malicious efforts to confuse voters, but he encourages voters to call their local city clerks or go to the GAB website to get accurate information.