Agency warns of voter registration scams
South Carolinians have only 10 days left to register to vote, and a state agency is urging them to be careful - and never provide financial information - when they sign up.
The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs said anyone who receives an e-mails or phone calls from someone claiming to be from the election commission or a similar government agency should be very wary.
These can be scams seeking sensitive information - information that can be used to infect a computer and provide access to someone's financial accounts, online transactions and identity. A registration scam would mean the voter without proper registration, and he or she could be turned away from the polls without voting on Nov. 4.
Alice Brooks, director of pubic information for Consumer Affairs, said two people in Columbia have received calls from someone purportedly checking on their voter registration information, but they also were asked for financial information.
Brooks said the agency decided to issue a statewide alert "because we think the potential for fraud is there."
Read more in Thursday's editions of The Post and Courier.
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Comments
wjhamilton3 (anonymous) says...
I help register voters for the Obama campaign and I'm part of the "Counsel for Change" program, which consists of thousands of Attorneys working on voter protection across the US. There's no reason for anyone to request financial information in SC when someone is registered to vote. There isn't a blank for that on the page. Voting is free. Property ownership requirements for voting are illegal.
Many people can vote in one of a number of states depending on where they live, their status in military service, where attend college or where they have homes. There is a national computer network system which removes a voter from the rolls in their previous state when they are registered in another. Of course you can vote only once, in one state. It's a fairly serious problem if you vote twice and get caught. They can and do check that.
Naturally, since SC is a Red state, many people choose to maintain their registration and residency elsewhere in hopes that their vote will have more impact. I have a lot of friends who continue to vote in blue states where they still have property, second homes or spend time in. I would think this would make conservative voters very happy.
It's important to understand that American Citizens have the right to relocate, travel and own property in different states and can make changes in their residence freely. In fact, it's illegal in many ways to restrict a citizen's right to move or become a resident of another state. Provisions keeping a parent from moving to another state in court orders can be challenged on that basis. You can't be stopped from crossing state lines to accomplish conduct legal in the state you are traveling to. There are many other examples.
You can be a resident of more than one state at the same time for the purpose of college tuition, government licenses and some other things in some cases, but you have to choose one to vote in.
Many other countries require people to register at their primary residence, which establishes where they vote, get their drivers license and what taxes they pay. People there usually file a form at the Police Station in their area, which often includes emergency contact information. That's not done in the US. Most Cities in the US have no idea who lives there and couldn't produce an accurate list.
And I don't slach people's tires. I know hundreds of hard working people on the Obama campaign and they don't either.
September 24, 2008 at 5:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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