Credit: Matt Smith/Spotlight PA
Officials from the Bucks County Board of Elections are alerting residents to a potential voter intimidation and misinformation campaign.
The contacts reported to election officials involves unsolicited calls and texts from entities posing as “Voter Protection” or “Volunteers with Voter Protection,” which falsely inform recipients of discrepancies in their voter registration details, according to a Thursday afternoon statement from officials.
Residents reported receiving communications from non-local area codes, claiming issues such as incorrect voter information, unregistered status, invalid identification for mail-in ballots, and uncounted votes from the April Primary due to ID discrepancies.
When investigated, the Bucks County Board of Elections confirmed no such issues existed for those who were told there were issues, officials said.
The fraudulent calls and texts instruct individuals to contact the Board of Elections at a provided number, which does not belong to the board.
Official communications from the Board will display “County of Bucks” and the phone number “215-348-6000” on caller IDs. Typically, the board corresponds with voters via the U.S. Postal Service, officials said.
“This is yet another attempt to sow confusion, distrust, and misinformation in our election process and disenfranchise duly registered voters. The Bucks County Board of Elections condemns this fraudulent activity in the strongest possible terms and has referred these messages to the District Attorney,” said Bucks County Board of Elections Chairman Bob Harvie, who is a Democratic county commissioner.”
He added: “My message to those perpetrating this behavior is: we will not be intimidated by rogue groups seeking to undermine our democratic institutions. We will continue to remain vigilant in conducting free and fair elections. We will ensure that every vote is counted. Voters will not be threatened on my watch.”
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office was made aware of the incidents. Although not currently investigating, District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, a Republican, expressed the importance of awareness by residents on potential election-related scams, office spokesperson Manuel Gamiz.
“The Bucks County Board of Elections encourages voters to remain vigilant,” the board said in their statement.
Residents who receive suspicious election communications are encouraged to contact the Bucks County Board of Elections at 215-348-6154 to report potential fraud or intimidation.
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