FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Contact: Kristen Schulze Muszynski
207-626-8404

Secretary Dunlap: Voter registration mailing is not from State Elections division

AUGUSTA — The Maine Division of Elections is responding to complaints about a recent voter registration outreach mailing that is being sent to Maine households by an independent organization. (PDF copy of the mailing )

Our office has received numerous complaints from relatives of deceased voters who have received mailings, said Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, and we want to assure the public that our office is not involved in this effort.

The mailing is being sent by an organization called Vote Forward, a volunteer organization based in Alabama that enlists individuals to send handwritten letters to potential Democratic voters, asking them to register and vote. Along with the letters, the organization is sending pre-filled voter registration applications as part of a voter registration drive.

The Maine Division of Elections has no connection to this organization and did not collaborate in any way on the mailing, even though the address of this office is printed on the return mailer. The names and contact information for the individuals receiving the mailings are not being provided to Vote Forward by this office. Thus, both the voter list and Maine Voter Registration Application form they are using is outdated.

While it is very upsetting for family members to receive letters addressed to deceased relatives, accessing public records is legal and no Maine election laws are being broken, said Secretary Dunlap.

Those who receive these mailings addressed to a deceased family member are advised to discard it and do not need to correct any information on file with the Elections Division.