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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Vote by phone fraud targeting elderly


Kurtis Killian, from St. Augustine, Florida, was among those in three states who have reported receiving calls that encouraged them to vote by phone so they would not have to go to the polls.
Killian said he received a call from a man who identified himself as an employee of the Florida Division of Elections. Killian said he refused the caller's offer to cast his vote by phone then reported the call to local elections officials.
"I know there is no such thing as phone voting," Killian said. But "for someone who can't get out easily," such as elderly or disabled voters, "they might go for that - it would be convenient for them. Once you think you voted ... you won't go to the polls. My vote would be canceled out."
Virginia's State Board of Elections received similar complaints from at least 10 people - most of them elderly - who said they had been urged to vote by phone.
Voters in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, reported similar phone calls in September, sparking an investigation by Indiana's Secretary of State's office, which oversees the state's elections.
The probe has focused on a firm called Vote USA. It is unclear who was behind the group; its phone number is no longer active. The Secretary of State's office urged voters who receive a call from Vote USA to ignore it.

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