Voter Deception, Republican-style

It's probably pretty obvious that I tend to vote Democrat. What, with having been a registered Democrat in the various states I have lived in, having volunteered for different campaigns, and having donated money on more than one instance to a Democratic campaign or cause. So, imagine my surprise when I went to my mailbox today and found a "vote-by-mail application" addressed to my family from the Republican National Committee. I mean, why on Earth would the RNC be spending their money trying to get a solid-blue house to vote in an election? Both my husband and I registered as Democrats when we got our licenses in North Carolina in May - that type of information is easily gained by a campaign.



I opened up the mailer and saw two parts attached to each other. One part was, ostensibly, the directions for requesting a ballot: "Vote Early By Mail; It's as Easy as 1. Each voter should complete and sign a card. 2. Place your stamp on it. 3. Drop it in the nearest mailbox. Request your vote-by-mail ballot today." The second part was a pocket (which doubles as an envelope) with a ballot request form for (wait for it) Virginia. Yes, Virginia. Even though the RNC mailer was addressed to our North Carolina address, the form inside was for Virginia. And the address on the return envelope, the envelope that will take your ballot request to the registrar of voters? It was for Chesterfield County, Virginia - the county where we used to live.



Honest mistake? How? The RNC mailer was correctly addressed to us in North Carolina, using our name. The return envelope was addressed to the Electoral Board in the county we used to live in Virginia - there was certainly no mistake about that!

I had been reading on various blogs about voter deception through the use of misaddressed ballot requests and registrations. But with so little being reported in the mainstream media, it was hard to say decisively that anything fishy was going on. Other moms I am acquainted with in Iredell County, North Carolina had received ballot request mailers from the RNC, and they stated that theirs were addressed correctly. Clearly, nothing could be amiss, right?

Of course, those individuals also happen to be Republicans. And myself? I am on the record as having donated to the Kerry campaign in 2004.

Not exactly the kind of person who is likely to vote for McCain in 2008, hmm?

Of course, I easily caught what was going on. So, no harm, no foul, right? What about people who might not be as aware of the deception going on? What about people who might not think to question the validity of the material they received? Aahhh...

In an election where every vote counts, where both North Carolina and Virginia may become blue, anything that takes out likely voters for the opposition is going to help your candidate win the electoral votes, isn't it?

The Republican National Committee: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.