Chesterfield Registrar Warns of Voter Registration Schemes
Chesterfield County General Registrar and Director of Elections Larry Haake alerts citizens to be aware of fraudulent voter registration schemes where individuals pose as someone from the voter registration drive.
One of the most used cons is that of registering a fictitious name at a legitimate address. “We have already identified this happening this summer in Chesterfield County,” said Haake in a press release. “If citizens receive a voter card in the mail with an unfamiliar name, please notify the registrar’s office – don’t just throw it away.”
Another frequent effort that has occurred in the past at voter registration drive sites involves a seemingly innocent conversation about the candidates and who one might vote for. If a citizen indicates a preference for the candidate-not-of-choice for that particular organization or individual, then any voter registration application that citizen completes will be discarded, never making it to the voter rolls.
Hake said these behaviors are illegal and hard to prosecute. Haake, a former police investigator, is working on some ways by which perpetrators might be identified and arrested, so he urges citizens to notify the Registrar’s Office upon receipt of a suspicious voter card.
“Citizens needing to register to vote should take advantage of the availability of convenient and safe ways to register to vote such as online through the Department of Elections, at DMV offices, or at one of the133 full-time registrar offices, rather than giving their most sensitive personal information to an unknown person sitting at a table with a voter registration sign”, Haake explained. “At least take the form and mail it in yourself or drop it off at any DMV or registrar’s office.”
Contact the Chesterfield County General Registrar’s Office at 804-748-1471 or registrar@chesterfield.gov.
