LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – The Lake County Supervisor of Elections Office is warning residents about out-of-state voter registration mailers that have been addressed to dead people.
The office says the documents are being sent from Virginia and are encouraging people to register to vote. Election officials have learned AmericaFirstPolicies.org is behind the campaign.
The county says the alarming issue that is the organization is addressing some of its mail to former residents who have been dead for years.
Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays said the mailers are not coming from his office. He adds the office has received several phone calls from residents complaining about the letters.
"It's being addressed to people that have never lived at that address. We've had many spouses that have received letters addressed to their deceased loved ones," Hays said.
The organization announced in June it was hosting a large voter registration drive when President Donald Trump launched his reelection campaign in Orlando.
Hays said while the nonprofit's intentions may be good, these letters are causing confusion for voters and mistrust in the elections process.
"It's also undermining the confidence of the public in the integrity of our system. They're wondering, 'My gracious, if they've gotten this information incorrect, how many other things are incorrect in that particular office?'" Hays said.
A spokesperson for America First Policies released a statement that reads: "As we have previously announced, America First Policies is currently conducting voter registration activities in Florida as well as other states. We do our best to send mailers only to unregistered, eligible voters. Unfortunately, information on non-registered voters can be incomplete or incorrect and, therefore, we apologize if this effort to get more Americans to register to vote has caused anyone emotional stress."
Hays encourages residents to check their voter registration status at LakeVotes.com. People may also call the Supervisor of Elections Office at 352-343-9734.
"We apologize for the inconvenience and for those whose emotional stress has been increased by this ill-advised mailing," Hays said.
If you're unsure of your voter registration status, check with you local elections office:
Orange County
Seminole County
Osceola County
Lake County
Volusia County
Brevard County
Sumter County
Flagler County
Marion County