Residents receiving false letters questioning citizenship
Posted: October 23rd, 2012, 12:37 pm
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Feds-t ... index.htmlORLANDO, Fla. -
Officials in Florida have issued a warning about a new trick trying to prevent voters from going to the polls.
Voters are getting letters that look like they are from local elections offices, questioning their citizenship. But Local 6 has learned the letters are fake, and they are going out across Central Florida and other parts of the state.
Officials said the voters who have received the letters thus far are white, registered Republicans who consistently vote in elections.
"This is a major concern," said Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Mike Ertel, who received a letter from a voter mailed from Seattle with no return address. "You should not expect a letter from your elections office saying, 'You're not registered to vote, please don't go to the polls.' That's ridiculous."
The supervisor of elections in Collier County said some residents there have also received hoax letters.
Inside the letter is the resident's supervisor of election's name, the resident's name and address, and a warning that doubts the voter's citizenship, saying the resident is not eligible to vote unless a letter is returned in an enclosed form within 15 days.
Some voters said it's easy to be fooled.
"It looks official," a Central Florida resident said.
"I would think they were full of it because I would ask for someone to prove it," said another voter when showed a copy of the fraudulent letter.
East Naples resident Wayne Hoss said he received his letter on Saturday and immediately knew it was a hoax because he was born in the United States. Hoss says the letter included a form seeking personal information, including his Social Security and driver's license numbers.
