TAMPA, Fla — October 5th is the deadline to register to vote. You can do it online, in person or by mail. Some groups are using the mail to register voters which is confusing for some residents.
“Our initial worry was is there an issue with our registration?”
Ed Bigelow is a registered voter. He’s voted in Pinellas County for 40 years.
So when a voter registration application came in the mail he had questions.
"I don’t see it as just another mailing. I see it as a very specific mailing that could be very destructive or participate in the destruction of our faith in the voting system," Bigelow explained.
The mailings come from the Center for Voter Information or CVI based in Washington, DC.
The notice reads: "Our records indicate someone at this address may not be registered to vote."
Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus says she gets plenty of calls from confused and upset voters.
“As election administrators, going into this election, misinformation is what keeps me up at night. So, when groups like this do these types of mailings you have to get it right and if you don’t then we would rather you not. Allow for election administrators to do our job.”
The head of CVI says while unintended errors happen, it’s for the greater good.
“The second line of our mailing, in bold print, says if you are already registered, disregard this notice, it's very clear. We aren't seeking to sow confusion. We are seeking to bring democracy to people in their homes as accessible as possible,” Tom Lopach with the Center for Voter Information said.
In Florida, CVI mailed 5.2 million registration applications this month alone. For this election cycle, 201,478 have been returned to election officials.
Marcus says that doesn’t necessarily equal new voters.
"We have to, by law, process the application. But if you are already registered and if you have a mail ballot request on file, then you’re good. It’s just a redundancy, but there’s no harm, no foul," Marcus said.
Marcus says the biggest issue is people are misinformed.
"It is misinformation that causes confusion, then erodes at our confidence in the process and when you do that you’re less likely to participate in an election."
Supervisors say if you get something in the mail, a registration application or by-mail ballot request, look for official logos or seals. Those marking will tell you if it is from your election office.
And, CVI is getting ready to send out another round of mailings, this time for vote by mail requests.
You will need a driver’s license or state ID number. If you don’t have those you can use the last four of your social, print it out, sign it and mail it in.
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