May 10, 2008
Secretary of State Betty Ireland Cautions West Virginia Voters About Potentially Misleading Registration Effort
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Charleston, WV (HNN) – West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland is cautioning voters not to be misled by a mailing sent to thousands of West Virginians asking them to register to vote.
These mailings could cause confusion because the deadline to register to vote in next Tuesday’s May 13, 2008 primary has already passed. “Women’s Voices. Women Vote” (WVWV) said they sent the mailing to over 16,000 unmarried women in the Mountain State as part of a larger nationwide mailing designed to get women registered to vote.
Ireland encourages citizens to still register to vote so that they will be eligible for the fall General Election, but wants to make sure it is understood that, for any new registrations received after the April 22nd deadline, those voters will not be able to vote in the May 13th primary.
“I appreciate that Women’s Voices Women Vote is trying to help get West Virginia citizens registered to vote,” stated Secretary Ireland. “But it is important to stress that while citizens can still register to vote for the November General Election, they will not be eligible to vote in the upcoming primary if they did not register before the April 22nd deadline.”
Page Gardner, President of WVWV, stated in her letter that:
“…West Virginia residents will receive this mail after the deadline for registering to vote to participate in the upcoming primary election. Please be aware that the mailing is not intended to encourage registration specifically for the primary, but simply to encourage voter registration in general. The mailing clearly indicates that the deadline to register to vote by mail for a particular election in West Virginia is 20 days before the election … We hope that this unfortunate coincidence in timing does not lead to any confusion or aggravation for either your state’s voters or registrars.”
Unfortunately, the initial batch of completed voter registration forms received by the Secretary of State’s office as a result of WVWV’s efforts indicate that many of the applications were sent to citizens who were already registered to vote. Ireland wants to assure voters that they do not need to register again in order to vote in the May 13th primary. However, those voters who used the WVWV’s registration form to update their address should contact their county clerk’s office to determine their proper voting precinct.
“I do not want registered voters to be confused by this mailing. If you were already registered to vote, you do not need to re-register,” Ireland emphasized. “If you were already registered but recently moved, it is best to contact your county clerk to make sure you vote in the correct precinct on Election Day.”
Other states have heard from voters and from county clerks that WVWV utilized automated (“robo”) calls to encourage people to register to vote. WVWV said they used automated calls in West Virginia as well. Unfortunately, the automated call does not explicitly state that the voter registration deadline has passed for the May primary election.
“If citizens have any questions about their voter registration, I encourage them to call my office at 1-866-SOS-VOTE or call their county clerk,” Ireland said. “Voters can also click on the ‘Am I Registered to Vote?’ link on www.WVvotes.com.”
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Secretary of State Betty Ireland Cautions West Virginia Voters About Potentially Misleading Registration Effort
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Charleston, WV (HNN) – West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland is cautioning voters not to be misled by a mailing sent to thousands of West Virginians asking them to register to vote.
These mailings could cause confusion because the deadline to register to vote in next Tuesday’s May 13, 2008 primary has already passed. “Women’s Voices. Women Vote” (WVWV) said they sent the mailing to over 16,000 unmarried women in the Mountain State as part of a larger nationwide mailing designed to get women registered to vote.
Ireland encourages citizens to still register to vote so that they will be eligible for the fall General Election, but wants to make sure it is understood that, for any new registrations received after the April 22nd deadline, those voters will not be able to vote in the May 13th primary.
“I appreciate that Women’s Voices Women Vote is trying to help get West Virginia citizens registered to vote,” stated Secretary Ireland. “But it is important to stress that while citizens can still register to vote for the November General Election, they will not be eligible to vote in the upcoming primary if they did not register before the April 22nd deadline.”
Page Gardner, President of WVWV, stated in her letter that:
“…West Virginia residents will receive this mail after the deadline for registering to vote to participate in the upcoming primary election. Please be aware that the mailing is not intended to encourage registration specifically for the primary, but simply to encourage voter registration in general. The mailing clearly indicates that the deadline to register to vote by mail for a particular election in West Virginia is 20 days before the election … We hope that this unfortunate coincidence in timing does not lead to any confusion or aggravation for either your state’s voters or registrars.”
Unfortunately, the initial batch of completed voter registration forms received by the Secretary of State’s office as a result of WVWV’s efforts indicate that many of the applications were sent to citizens who were already registered to vote. Ireland wants to assure voters that they do not need to register again in order to vote in the May 13th primary. However, those voters who used the WVWV’s registration form to update their address should contact their county clerk’s office to determine their proper voting precinct.
“I do not want registered voters to be confused by this mailing. If you were already registered to vote, you do not need to re-register,” Ireland emphasized. “If you were already registered but recently moved, it is best to contact your county clerk to make sure you vote in the correct precinct on Election Day.”
Other states have heard from voters and from county clerks that WVWV utilized automated (“robo”) calls to encourage people to register to vote. WVWV said they used automated calls in West Virginia as well. Unfortunately, the automated call does not explicitly state that the voter registration deadline has passed for the May primary election.
“If citizens have any questions about their voter registration, I encourage them to call my office at 1-866-SOS-VOTE or call their county clerk,” Ireland said. “Voters can also click on the ‘Am I Registered to Vote?’ link on www.WVvotes.com.”
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