Politics & Government

Elections Office Warns of Fake Voter Eligibility Letters

Fraudulent letters postmarked from Seattle appear to be from the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections. They are asking people to submit sensitive voting information.

The Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections is warning residents that unauthorized letters are being sent by firms to voters questioning their citizenship and voter eligibility.  

Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent released a statement Monday evening saying that her office was notified about these letters and that they are not coming from her office. 

“Any voter who receives mail or phone calls that, at first glance, appear to be from the Sarasota County elections office, and which are suspicious or call into question a person’s eligibility to vote should retain the mailing envelope and contents and contact the SOE office at (941) 861-8600 to report the incident," Dent stated in the release. 

Find out what's happening in Sarasotawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Any letter that questions Sarasota County voter eligibility will only from the county's Supervisor of Elections Office and include Dent's signature and does not require a 15-day response to the inquiry, Dent explained. 

The Supervisor of Elections does not know the letters' origins, other than that they were postmarked in Seattle, a Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman told Patch. 

Find out what's happening in Sarasotawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One letter received by a resident has Kathy Dent's name and title on it and looks easily like it could come from the office, and also provides a Port St. Lucie area phone number for Spanish speakers. A copy of a fraudulent letter appears with this story.

"The Sarasota County elections office is committed to protecting the integrity of the elections process and to protecting the rights of all eligible voters," Dent stated. "We will continue to monitor this and will assist the Division of Elections and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in their investigations into cases regarding illegal activities."


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