Mainstreet Daily News
A suspicious postcard is being mailed to Alachua County voters and encouraging them to request a vote-by-mail ballot. One of the postcards, which was obtained by the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections, makes the following statement:
“Dear Valued Voter:
We are encouraging all Democrats to request a vote by mail ballot. It’s convenient, easy & safe. Never miss an election when you vote from home. When Alachua County DEMS got by mail, DEMS win. Protect democracy by voting.”
It also lists an Alachua County Supervisor of Elections phone number, and the email address of a staff member at the SOE’s office. One of the postcards is signed “Your friend Sara”.
Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Kim A. Barton released the following statement about the postcards:
“Our office has received numerous calls from voters who received apparently handwritten postcards encouraging voting by mail. These mailers list our office’s number and the email address of a staff member. Some of the mailers have included political statements endorsing the Democratic Party.
These postcards are not from our office or any of its employees. Any mail that comes from our office will have our office’s return address clearly listed, and most mail that we send will include the United States Postal Service’s official election mail logo. We will never send mail or other communications endorsing one candidate or party over another.
Publicly available voter lists can be requested by anyone, including people who do not live in Florida. Many of the pieces we have seen have out-of-state postmarks. Alachua County is not the only Florida county with voters who have received similar postcards.
Members of our team have been concerned by some callers’ threatening tones. In all of our interactions, we strive to both be respectful and uphold high levels of customer service. We ask that others conduct themselves respectfully in return.”
