NAACP, election officials caution voters of bogus letter
JENNIFER HOLLAND
Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Charleston County election officials cautioned South Carolinians on Friday to steer clear of a fake letter that threatens the arrest of voters who have outstanding parking tickets or have failed to pay child support.
"I'm outraged," said Jill Miller, director of the Charleston County Board of Election and Voter Registration. "This is so bogus."
The one-page letter poses as a message from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The Rev. Joe Darby, vice president of the state NAACP chapter, said he received the letter at his home in Charleston. It had Columbia postmark with no return address.
He said the letter was an attempt to scare minorities from voting Tuesday because the author of the message assumes black people are in trouble with the law.
"This is old South Carolina politics," said Darby. "I don't think anybody will fall for this."
Darby said he wants the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate.
The letter says voters must have a credit check, provide two forms of photo identification, a Social Security card, a voter registration card as well as a handwriting sample.
"None of that is true," said Miller. "I certainly hope no voter would be taken in by this."
All voters need is one of the following: a voter registration card, a South Carolina driver's license, or a South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles-issued photo identification card.
Miller said she has heard of other voter scams that try to corrupt the process. Many people have complained about a door-to-door campaign, where the person encourages voters to cast "early ballots," she said.
People can vote absentee if they qualify, such as being out of town on election day or kept from the polls because of work.
